


move in, mess my place

by bebe8s



Series: hourglass [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Blow Jobs, Coming Untouched, Crushes, Dirty Talk, Eddie Kaspbrak is Bad at Feelings, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Emotional Sex, Eventual Smut, Flirting, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Hand Jobs, Heartbreak, M/M, Making Up, Marijuana, Masturbation, Mentions of Sex, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overstimulation, Porn with Feelings, Praise Kink, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier's Trashmouth, Roommates, Rough Oral Sex, Sexting, Shotgunning, Underage Drinking, a lil, background benverly, eddie needs to stop thinking so much, like. barely, lowkey basing this campus off of my campus lmao, lowkey slow burn?? idk man, richie constantly flirting with eddie and eddie constantly blushing about it, yeah i said fwb deal with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-12-28 21:30:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21143519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bebe8s/pseuds/bebe8s
Summary: Stan motions to the two new guys in the room. Eddie doesn't even have time to focus on Bill, because he's too distracted by the lanky boy sprawled out across his bed. With his dark curls and pale skin, it's undeniable. It's the guy from last night."Well, hello there, princess." Richie says with a smirk, and Eddie can feel the flush in his cheeks.Fuck.here's a playlist for this fic made by hotpocketgf (on tumblr)!!!!





	1. come back and find me

**Author's Note:**

> the other day i was just chillin in my digital media class and my friends were talking about their housing next year and how they needed to find one more guy, and then gave each other a knowing look, and then one guy said "No! You cannot room with someone you're hooking up with." and so i decided that should be a fic. so thanks to my pals for inspiring me to write.
> 
> i have a paper due in 24 hours but instead i am writing this so. that's college babey!!!
> 
> title is from "hourglass" by catfish and the bottlemen, aka my fav song ever  
chapter titles are all catb lyrics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter title is from "sidewinder" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie woke up and rolled over. He felt sore, like, everywhere. His head was pounding, indicating he drank last night (a rare occurrence). But that wasn't the weirdest thing. Next to him was some lanky ass boy with a mop of curls on his head. Eddie didn't do one night stands. Too risky. He didn't want to catch feelings for some deadbeat guy who couldn't communicate his feelings in words. He slowly glanced around the room, getting his bearings. 

The walls of the dorm room were covered with posters - mostly bands he hadn't heard of or movies that he hadn't seen. The room was an absolute mess, with clothes scattered across the floor. Eddie grimaced and fought the urge to start cleaning. The bed sitting across the room was made, clearly not slept in last night. That side of the room was neater, but not by much. It was still clearly the room of two college guys.

Eddie closed his eyes back as he planned how to get up and leave without waking his mysterious bedfellow. He swung his legs over the side of the bed as gently as possible and crept across the floor, gathering his shirt and shoes as he went. He was just opening the door when the other man suddenly roused and opened his mouth.

"Good morning, princess. Surprised you can walk after last night."

Eddie turned around, only to be met with a smirking man covered in hickies. He was beautiful, really. There's no other way to describe it. His pale skin was smattered with freckles, particularly across his nose. His lips were still kind of red from the night before. And, Eddie admitted, he was fucking hot. Instead of saying any of these things, Eddie went with, "Don't call me princess." 

"How about you give me your number so I can just call you?"

Eddie scoffed. For a line, that was relatively weak. And yet, he was compelled. He fought the urge to comply with the dark haired man's request, simply quipping, "I don't think that's going to happen."

Eddie pulled his shirt over his head and turned around, closing the door behind him. He still didn't know the guy's name, but he figured it didn't matter. This was a one night thing. He made his way out of the dorm building, realizing he wasn't too far from his dorm. Thank God, because, honestly, the other guy was right: Eddie was having a hard time walking. He must have truly been tipsy to reveal to a stranger that he likes it rough. 

Eddie slowly padded his way back to his dorm, hoping Stan and Bill weren't up. They were great roommates, really, but he just did not want to answer their inevitable questions. It seemed he was not that lucky, because just as he turned his key in the doorknob, he was met with Stan and Ben's chatter. They were talking about next year's living arrangements. The three of them were going to try to get a house near campus, but they needed one or two more guys. They didn't have that many other friends, and the three of them were too picky to just go random. It had to be people they knew.

"Well, well, well. Welcome home." Stan uttered without looking up from his laptop. Ben glanced up, smiling at Eddie. Ben was always so comforting.

"Good morning." Eddie mumbled as he searched through his desk drawers for some advil.

Luckily the two guys didn't prod further into Eddie's sexcapades - they went right back to bickering about what house to put a down payment on. Ben wanted to put a down payment down now so they didn't lose the house they wanted, but Stan insisted that was improbable and they needed to find their other roommates first. Eddie was barely paying attention. For some reason, he was still thinking about that guy. The guy with the raven colored hair and porcelain skin. The guy that he honestly wished he had given his number. 

"What do you think, Eddie? We need a third opinion to decide." He was removed from his thoughts by Ben's question. He honestly didn't care all that much, especially because both of them had good points. He didn't really know what to say.

"Why don't we just try to find someone today? And then if we can't, we'll just pay the down payment and keep looking for people, but at least we tried beforehand?" 

"See, that would be a good idea, except we don't have anyone to ask." Stan replied, a little annoyed that he wasn't really winning this argument.

"I know this guy in my Writing Comp class. He told me that he and his roommate were thinking of moving off campus next semester. I could ask them? They could, like, come over tonight to chat."

"I guess." Stan muttered before going back to his laptop. He clearly wasn't pleased, but he seemed like he would at least go along with meeting these guys.

"What are their names?" Eddie questioned, wondering if he knew them.

"Uh, the guy in my class is named Bill. I don't know his roommate's name, though. I haven't met him, but Bill's a sensible guy so I can only imagine his roommate is, too."

Eddie nodded. He thought for a moment, deciding what to do. He should go study at the library, since he has a midterm this week. But all he wants to do is curl up in bed. Before he can do any of that, though, he's got to go shower. He's kind of proud of himself for going a night without showering, but he feels sticky all over and smells faintly of alcohol. He grabs his shower caddy and towel and heads down the hallway to the bathrooms, ready to wash the rest of last night off of him and hopefully stop thinking about the boy with the curls.

\---

Eddie rubbed at his temples. He'd been studying for hours. Well, with occasional instagram breaks. He was trying to find his one night stand on instagram, but it was hard, seeing as he didn't know his name. He had been going through the tagged photos of his friends, hoping to see something that could lead him to the boy's profile. But alas, he had no luck. None at all. He sighed, and his phone buzzed. A text in his group chat with Ben and Stan.

**Ben: ** bill is coming over at 5 to meet u guys. hes bringing his roommate too

**Stan: ** Ever find out his name?

**Ben: ** yea it's richie

**Eddie: ** got it. i'll be there

Eddie switched his phone to do not disturb and tucked it away. It was already 3:30, so he had to buckle down and finish his work so he could head back to the dorm. He pushed his hair out of his eyes (it had gotten kind of long because haircuts in college are hard to come by) and returned to his notes. He struggled to keep his focus on the health practices of ancient Mesopotamia. His mind kept wandering back to the boy. But he used all of his self control and shoved the thoughts out of his head, instead focusing on this weird ancient tablet about gynecological health. He wished whatever he was studying was more captivating, but kept reading nonetheless. 

After about an hour, he decided he had done enough studying for today. He had until Thursday to keep studying, and it was Sunday, so he didn't need to totally burn himself out. Not yet. He glanced at his phone, seeing it was 4:45. Shit. He had wanted to get back to his dorm early enough to change and freshen up a bit, wanting to make a good impression, but at this rate, he would barely get there by 5:00. It was roughly a 15 minute walk back, and that's if he walks quickly. But he doesn't want to break a sweat, so he resigns to his fate of being late. Being a few minutes late isn't the end of the world. Well, at least he tries to convince himself that on his walk back. 

He finally reaches his building at 5:02, and heads for the elevator. He'd take the steps, but he's not really in the mood to climb all the way to their dorm on the eighth floor. He boards the elevator, smashing the "8" button and waiting as the elevator slowly climbs upwards. When he finally reaches the door, the can hear laughter inside. He takes a moment to collect himself and unlocks the door.

He's greeted by the five guys sitting around. "Hey, Eddie! This is Bill, and this is Richie!"

Stan motions to the two new guys in the room. Eddie doesn't even have time to focus on Bill, because he's too distracted by the lanky boy sprawled out across his bed. With his dark curls and pale skin, it's undeniable. It's the guy from last night.

"Well, hello there, princess." Richie says with a smirk, and Eddie can feel the flush in his cheeks.

Fuck.


	2. i don't think through things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie realizes that maybe, just maybe, he can act normal around Richie and this won't be a problem.
> 
> title is from "7" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie stands there, fighting the flush that was trying to fill his cheeks. It must have crept up anyways, as Stan asked, "Do you guys know each other?"

Eddie rushed to say "No!" at the exact same time Richie said, "You could say that." 

Stan and Ben looked from Eddie to Richie, and then back to Eddie. Their faces wore a questioning look, but he was pretty sure they knew what was going on here. After what seemed like forever, Eddie finally spoke again, uttering out a quick "Uh, kind of, I guess."

Ben and Stan looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed. There was an awkward feeling lingering in the air. Eddie was pretty sure everyone in the room now knew he and Richie had fucked. And now they might be roommates next year, which seems like a disastrous idea, because Eddie definitely wants to fuck him again. And if he has to live in the same house as Richie, if he has to see Richie all wet after getting out of the shower-

Eddie stops himself. The only possible way to make this situation more awkward would be for him to pop a boner. Finally, _ finally _, Stan starts talking again. Something about rent or utilities or whatever. Eddie's only half listening. He can feel Richie's eyes on him, and he's fighting the urge to meet his gaze. He didn't realistically think he'd ever see Richie again, but now. Now Richie is here and on his bed and Eddie feels like his skin is on fire. 

"Do you guys wanna head down to the Stu to grab some food?" this tallish, awkward boy asks. Eddie reminds himself that his name is Bill. The group all mumbles a collective agreement and Stan, Bill, and Ben start filing out of the room. Eddie walks over to his desk, which is right next to his bed, and sets his backpack down on the chair. When he turns around to head out with the rest of the guys, he finds Richie standing right behind him. So close. So, so, _ so _ close.

Eddie can feel his warmth. He's not sure what to do. Every single word in his vocabulary seems to have disappeared from his mind. Instead all he can think about are the freckles on Richie's face and the way Richie's curls look so messy but so perfectly set and how much taller Richie is than him and RIchieRichieRichie. It almost seems like Richie knows this is what's on Eddie's mind, because he's grinning down at him in the most obnoxious (and hot) way. 

"Didn't think I'd be so lucky as to see you again today." Richie says before tugging his bottom lip under his teeth, looking Eddie up and down. Eddie feels scandalized. He's pretty sure he's going to have third degree burns all over his body from how much he's flushing.

"Yeah, uh, well-" Eddie tries to come up with some smart and flirty response. He fails, which just spurs Richie on. He reaches his fingers forward to brush Eddie's hair out of his eyes. His fingertips feel electric against Eddie's forehead, and he's just so mad that he's letting himself get so lost in Richie. 

"We should probably go, lest they think we're fucking again." Richie says as he starts to turn around, heading for the door. 

"Lest? Who the fuck says lest?" Eddie calls after him, turning to lock the door on his way out. Both boys catch up with the rest at the elevators. Now Stan and Richie are talking about music, and Eddie is trying to pay attention to Bill and Ben's discussion about books, but he doesn't really read that much, so he doesn't have much to say. And his music taste isn't anything like Stan's or Richie's, so Eddie just kind of stands there silently, just waiting for the elevator to finally ding. 

It arrives, and the five of them clamber on. It's a little cramped, but it's nothing abnormal. Eddie is used to being squished in the elevator. There's only two for his building, and there's twelve floors, so going up often means a ride for four or five strangers.

The only problem is he's currently _ so _ close to Richie. He has his back to him, thank God, but that just means that he can feel Richie's breath on his neck. He can also feel the goosebumps he's getting. He spends the whole ride focusing on anything else but Richie. He even finds himself actively listening to Bill and Ben. When the elevator gets to the main floor, Richie places his hand on Eddie's lower back to guide him out of the elevator. And now Eddie is sure that Richie is fucking with him, just having fun flirting with this random boy he slept with once that is clearly a little caught up on him still. 

But just as soon as the hand appears, it disappears. Richie's now walking a little ahead of Eddie, still talking to Stan. Maybe Eddie is a little too in his own head about this. Richie doesn't even seem phased by Eddie. Amused, yeah, but relatively unaffected. Eddie just needs to get himself together. Hopefully he'll get some alone time in the dorm tomorrow so that he can just rub one out and stop thinking about Richie altogether.

They finally arrive at the Student Center (or the Stu, as everyone actually calls it). They walk inside and start splitting up, heading to the various food stands. It's set up like a food court, almost, but you all pay at the same place. And there's miscellaneous snacks and drinks available, too. Richie and Ben head for the pizza, Stan heads for the Chinese food, and Bill and Eddie end up together at the pasta station. They both fill out their order sheets silently. Eddie hadn't actually said a word to Bill this whole time, and he didn't know what to say now.

He wondered if Bill knew about him and Richie. He wondered if Richie had told him he got laid last night in the first place. He wondered if Richie always had one night stands, since overall Bill seemed unphased by Eddie and Richie's strange interaction. His thoughts are interrupted when Bill turns to ask him a question.

"So, what's your major, again? I think Ben mentioned it but I can't remember."

"Biology. Pre-med track. You?" 

"English." Bill pauses, trying to come up with something else to say to fill the silence. "So, pre-med, huh? I bet that's tough."

Eddie chuckles lightly, mostly just to be polite. He hears that sentiment a lot. It's the standard response he gets when he tells someone his major. 

"Yeah, it can be gruelling sometimes, but I find it interesting, so that makes it more enjoyable. But I don't really think you can go into the medical field if it's not something you're passionate about. So many years of school, you've gotta really like something to spend that long learning it." 

Bill nods appreciatively, and the woman on the other side of the counter puts Eddie's order up, order form on top. Eddie doesn't know if he should stay with Bill out of politeness or just go ahead and pay. Luckily, Stan walks up at just that moment.

"Wanna pay and go grab a table?" he asks, motioning towards the dining area. Eddie nods and Bill says, "I'll be right behind you guys!" 

Eddie is sure that Stan is going to bring up Richie, but he doesn't. He just puts his food on the scale and swipes his ID card. Eddie steps forward, handing his order form over. By the time he swipes his card, Bill is behind him in line. Eddie casts his eyes back to the dining area, trying to see where they should sit, but he sees Ben and Richie have already chosen a spot. A booth in the corner, out of the way of most of the other tables. Once Bill has paid, he joins Stan and Eddie in their walk over.

They get to the booth, and Bill and Stan slide in next to Ben. Richie pats to spot next to him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and giggling a little. Eddie thinks it's kind of cute, but mainly just stupid. He sits down, folding his napkin into his lap. College can't stop him from using his manners. Richie, however, clearly has different merits. He's shoveling pizza into his mouth in grotesque quantities. Eddie isn't sure how he can fit so much food into his mouth at once without choking to death.

As if on cue, Richie, with his big mouth full of pizza, says, "Like what you see, Eddie Spaghetti?" 

Eddie rolls his eyes and shoves a napkin into Richie's open hand. "Spaghetti? Really?"

"I had to! You literally got spaghetti. You left me zero nickname choices." Richie playfully argues, acting like he's on the defense. Eddie sighs and twirls his spaghetti with his fork. 

\---

They end up spending hours at the Stu, just talking about whatever stupid topic comes up. Eddie learns that Richie's a film major, which, frankly, makes a lot of sense. When Richie learns Eddie's on the pre-med track, he suggests that they play doctor, which gets a laugh from the table and a blush from Eddie. Eddie finds out he and Bill are signed up for the same art history class next semester, a dumb distribution requirement for most majors. Richie tells stories about working for the school's radio station and TV network, and Eddie is amazed that he's able to just jump right in on work in his field. Sure, it's still just at the college level, but it's more than Eddie's done. It's not like he just gets to work as a student surgeon at the local hospital. 

Eddie thinks that maybe rooming with Richie wouldn't be the worst idea. And maybe - just maybe - they could even be friends with benefits. Which honestly sounds so cheesy, but still. Maybe they could. At some point, Bill mentions that he has this friend on campus - Eddie thinks he said his name is Mike - that's looking for somewhere to live next year. So now they're looking at listings on Ben's computer, and they've found a new house - one with six different "bedrooms" (they're not technically all bedrooms, but they can function as them, so it works). Eddie's surprised Stan is so relaxed about just adding another person, but he does see that the rent is not that much more expensive, and with another person paying, everyone would end up paying less. Stan is an accounting major, so he loves things that make financial sense. 

They finally wrap up when campus safety starts turning over the lights, signalling for students to leave. They had really sat there until closing. Sure, it was a little earlier than usual since it was a Sunday, but still. They spent a long time there. They all started heading back to their dorms, and Richie decides to throw his arm around Eddie's shoulders. He's just being playful, but it still makes Eddie feel like his skin is tingling, and it's all he can think about for the entire walk back. Richie and Bill's dorm was on the way to Eddie, Ben, and Stan's, so they had a short walk together. Once they arrive at Richie and Bill's building, they all say their goodbyes, and decide that they're all going to hang out again soon and invite Mike and all that stuff. When Richie finally removes his arm to go inside, Eddie honestly feels a little disappointed. It was comfortable. 

And Eddie decides he's being stupid. He watches Richie swipe his ID and enter the building, curls bouncing as he pushes the door open. He has literally only known Richie for 24 hours, and he doesn't even really _ know _him, so he needs to stop getting ahead of himself, he needs to stop fantasizing about what he would call him if they were boyfriends. He just needs to stop.

Stan, Ben, and Eddie talk about planning the next hang out for the rest of the walk back, which is like, three whole minutes, so it's not really a concrete plan. When they finally unlock their door and pile into their room, all returning to their respective areas, Eddie thinks he might be in the clear. Ben's reading a book, and Stan is doing his homework, and neither of them are paying any attention to Eddie. Maybe it wasn't so obvious that he and RIchie had fucked. But, he was wrong.

"So, Richie, huh?" Stan says through a grin, not even taking his eyes off of his textbook page. Eddie feels his blush coming back. Ben marks his page and folds his book, turning to look at Eddie. Stan follows suit, putting down his pencil to give Eddie his full attention. Eddie feels so exposed.

"What do you mean?" Eddie tries to play it cool. It doesn't work. They know him too well.

"Were you ever going to tell us you slept with Bill's roommate?" Stan asks.

"I didn't know he was Bill's roommate. I didn't even know his name was Richie! It was just a one night stand after that party last night." Eddie rushes out.

"Was he any good?" Stan replies.

Ben immediately chimes in, saying, "That is none of our business!" 

Both guys seem to think to themselves for a moment, before Ben speaks up again. "So, like, is it a bad idea for us to room with him? I'm sure Bill would understand. They're probably having this same conversation right now." Eddie blushes at the thought of Richie talking about him. (For the record, they were not discussing this. They were have a fruit by the foot eating contest, seeing who could eat the longest amount in one minute.)

"I don't know. Probably not. Things weren't weird tonight. Except for like, that first moment when I first saw him. I didn't expect to see him again, at least not so soon." 

Stan nods. "Well, if you're sure. But, for real, you can tell us if you don't want to. We don't want to put you in a weird situation." 

Eddie smiles, appreciative of Stan's sincerity. "I really don't think it will be weird. Really." 

And he doesn't. He's being honest. The whole night had gone so well, and if Eddie could just get out of his own head and stop his stupid feelings for Richie, things could go perfectly normally with their future housing arrangements.

Or, at least, he thought. That was until the clock struck 12:39 AM and he got a snapchat from a user he didn't recognize. He opened the app, looking at the bold, unopened box.

**(12:39 AM) ****trashmouth** **sent you a snap!**

Even though nothing good happens on snapchat, like, ever, but especially not after midnight, Eddie still opened it. It was a picture of Richie. He didn't have a shirt on, and his hair was even messier. Over the picture there was a caption:

**(12:39 AM) thinking of u. especially ur fuckign lips**

Eddie blushed for the millionth time that day. Then another snapchat came in - this time it was a video. Richie made sure his headphones were plugged in, not wanting to wake his roommates with whatever bullshit Richie is spewing into the lense. Except, when he opened the snap, it wasn't Richie running his mouth. It was Richie's hand on his cock, red and slick. Eddie could hear the slick noises as Richie jerked himself off. He'd clearly been doing it for a little while by now, cause about fifteen seconds later, he was coming into his hand, mumbling a string of curse words. And Eddie's name.

And now Eddie was absolutely, totally, positively fucked, because, damn it. He wanted to see that again and again. And that's not something that roommates casually do. So, Eddie groaned and slid his head back, trying to decide how to reply. And deciding whether or not he needed to say something about this to Ben and Stan. Because he didn't really want to, but he knew that he should. 

Instead, he just double clicked on Richie's name, sliding the camera under his blankets and snapping a photo of his clothed erection. He quickly typed up a (hopefully) flirty message. 

_(12:40 AM) fuck u. i can't do anything about this with my roommates sleeping just a few feet away._

And just as he's trying to will himself to shut off his phone and go to sleep, he sees another message roll in. It's just a picture this time, Richie's face. His lips are so red, and his hair is kind of sticking to his forehead, and he looks so fucking hot. 

**(12:40 AM) come over here then**

And, for the first time that day, Eddie is able to reason himself out of doing something stupid. Because even though he desperately wants to pull on his shoes and speed walk to Richie's dorm, he knows he shouldn't. So instead he just plugs his phone into its charger and rolls over, forcing himself to sleep. A sleep that consisted of a lot of Richie-filled dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this ended up longer than i thought it would. and i planned on it being a slow burn but i'm impatient so like. they might get together sooner rather than later. if that is the case then i shall update the tags accordingly! 
> 
> leave me comments and kudos!!!!! bc i crave validation!!!!!


	3. just wanna flood your head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie couldn't seem to think of anything worse than the fact that there has been one thing on his mind for the past 48 hours, and that thing was Richie
> 
> title is from "2all" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie woke up the next morning to a shit ton of messages from Richie on snapchat. He clicked on the blue bubble, scrolling through at the DMs Richie had sent. 

**(1:37 AM) eddie. come over pls.**

**(1:38 AM) eddieeeeee**

**(1:38 AM) eds come on i can help u out**

**(1:39 AM) pls i wanna suck ur dick**

**(1:40 AM) maybe even fuck u again**

**(1:42 AM) bill isn't here**

**(1:42 AM) i have the room to myself**

**(1:51 AM) i'm guessing u went to sleep**

**(1:51 AM) i hope so cause i dont want u to ignore me**

**(1:51 AM) im sorry if this was too forward**

**(1:52 AM) just always thinking about u now**

**(1:52 AM) ever since saturday night**

**(1:53 AM) whcih was yesterday but still**

Then there was a lull in the messages, indicating Richie had gone to sleep. But then there were new messages, now from this morning. 

**(8:08 AM) god eds i'm sorry about all that**

**(8:08 AM) it was probably dumb of me**

**(8:08 AM) hope this doesn't ruin things**

**(8:12 AM) but like. i still meant it all.**

**(8:12 AM)i'd suck ur dick right now if u wanted**

Eddie rolled his eyes. He didn't want that to ruin things. He wanted to room with Bill and Richie and maybe even this Mike kid next year. He just had to stop fucking thinking about Richie in _ that _way and then everything could work. But it wasn't going to be easy, especially if Richie ever sent him another dick pic. It had taken every ounce of self control not to go over to his place last night, and Eddie doesn't think he could resist should this situation present itself again. For now, he just hovered his thumbs over his phone, trying to come up with something to say back to Richie. Something to ease the tension.

_(8:31 AM) it's ok, richie _

_(8:32 AM) don't worry about it! _

He wanted to be flirty, but that just wasn't a smart idea. Not right now, at least. 

Eddie swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching his arms out. He had overslept a bit and it was already 8:34, which meant he had about an hour before he needed to leave for his 10:00 class. He slid out of bed, slipping on his shower shoes and grabbing his caddy. He had time for a quick shower.

He took a fifteen minute shower, and if he thought about Richie being in there with him the whole time, no one had to know. 

\---

Eddie plugged in his headphones as he walked out of his Bio II class. He scrolls through his spotify until he finds just the right playlist, and he starts the walk back to his dorm. He was going to stop by the Stu on his way back to grab something for lunch, since it was now 1:30 and his stomach was grumbling. As he makes his way there, he gets a text in his roommate groupchat.

**Ben: **hey guys are you free friday?

**Stan: **I don't know, why?

**Ben: **bill invited us to a party

**Eddie: **i'm free. i guess i can go

**Stan: **I will go even though I don't like parties.

**Ben: **i'm pretty sure richie's gonna be there too, eddie

**Eddie: **i don't care at all

**Stan: **Okay, sure you don't. 

**Stan: **We heard your sleep moans.

**Ben: **it was gross and scarring and something i don't ever want to hear again

Eddie locks his phone. He was embarrassed - he didn't know he had moaned in his sleep last night. He remembered some _ explicit _dreams about Richie, but that was really it. He wondered what all he said. He hoped it wasn't as explicit as the dream. 

Before he knew it, he was at the Stu. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he almost forgot to stop and get food. He strolled over to the salad bar, grabbing a plastic container on the way. He started filling his container with various vegetables: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, peppers, carrots. He took pride in his healthier food choices. As he walked towards the cash register, he grabbed a bottle of apple juice. The cashier rung him up and he paid with his student ID before heading over to grab a fork. He just planned on eating back in his dorm. 

But then he felt an arm around his shoulders and suddenly Richie was there and Eddie just wanted to disappear. Before Saturday, he had never even seen Richie around school. And now he had seen him three days in a row. And he had seen his dick twice, but that thought was pushed out of his mind relatively quickly.

"Well hello there, Mr. Spaghetti Man! I see you have abandoned your signature meal." said Richie, motioning towards the salad in Eddie's grip. His knuckles were nearly white from how tightly he was holding it.

"Not my signature meal." 

"Well then why does it rhyme with your name? Check and mate!" Richie laughs at his own reasoning. Eddie doubts he knows how to play chess. 

"Can I help you?" Eddie didn't mean to sound so bitter, but he was trying so hard not to melt into a puddle of sexual frustration right at Richie's feet. 

"Yes, in fact. I missed your cute little face." Richie said with a grin, taking Eddie's apple juice as they both started walking towards the dorms. Eddie rolled his eyes as a blush crept its way up his cheeks.

"Don't call me cute, idiot."

"Oh, you wound me!" Richie said, dramatically slapping his hand over his heart and feigning pain.

"Sorry, I can't help it. You're easy to wound." Eddie said with a shrug. Richie beamed down at him, and Eddie felt like Richie's eyes were burning into his skull. He wondered if he could read his mind, which was a stupid thought, but a thought he had nonetheless.

"Anyways, I just wanted to apologize in person for my… messages last night." Richie said, pretending to tip a hat politely. 

"Wow, what a gentleman." Eddie uttered, his voice drenched with sarcasm. "Nah, but don't worry about it. It's fine."

"I also wanted to make it clear that I do in fact want to fuck you again, if you ever are up for it."

Eddie's blush deepened. He wasn't good at casually conversing about sex. He was too awkward.

"Um, I - uh - don't think that would be the best idea. Since we're probably gonna live together next year, you know?" Eddie stared down at his feet as he spoke.

Richie's face fell a bit, but he covered it. He was a master at hiding his true emotions.

"Understandable! Not used to being shot down, but I do suppose it's a wise choice on your part. Well, you know where to find me if you ever change your mind." Richie hands Eddie the apple juice and turns to swipe his ID. As the door clicks open, he turns once more.

"Goodbye, Eddie Spaghetti! I shall see you soon!" Richie chuckled as he walked through the door, clearly amused at his slightly proper speech pattern. Eddie just rolled his eyes and walked back to his dorm. 

The room was empty when he unlocked the door. Stan was at the library, which meant he would be gone for _ hours _, and Ben had class until 4. Eddie had a few hours to himself.

He ate his salad at his desk, reading a chapter of his biology textbook. He had a hard time ever just taking a break from studying, as he always felt like there was more he needed to do. When he finally finished the chapter, he had completely demolished both his salad and apple juice. A meal of kings, if he might say so himself. He walked out to the hall to throw away his trash - he was very weird about keeping food trash in the room, even if it was in the trash can. 

Returning to his dorm, he climbed onto his bed. It was 2:26 now, so he still had at least an hour and a half alone. He reached for his phone, opening instagram. He saw he had a new follower: richtozier.

He clicked on the profile, following him back. And then he proceeded to scroll through every photo on his feed. He had a few shirtless pics at the beach, which were the highlight of his posts. For the most part, Richie just posted the dumbest shit possible. Spammed photos of him goofing off at the radio station, poorly edited pictures of him in popular movies, and even a video of him narrating a day in the life of Richie Tozier. Which was super dumb, but also super cute. Eddie was careful not to like any of the posts. He would never live it down if Richie found out he had been insta stalking him.

Eddie sighed. He wondered if it really was the smart decision to not sleep with Richie again. Because, like, how bad could it really be? What's the worst that could happen? Eddie couldn't seem to think of anything worse than the fact that there has been one thing on his mind for the past 48 hours, and that thing was Richie.

And if Eddie jerked off to thoughts of Richie's fingers up his ass, then that's his personal business. And if he came harder than he had in a long time from his own hand, then that's also his personal business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two updates in two days? that's wild!
> 
> this is a shorter update bc it's just exposition really for the next chapter which i am excited for so i just wanted to post this already!!! uhhh leave me comments and kudos! i loooooove reading what you guys have to say!!! like i literally got just two comments on the last chapter and felt so loved that i decided to update again tonight lmao
> 
> the gc messages are a different format than the ones between richie and eddie because i said so ok deal with it


	4. i did my best to get my hands under your jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Eddie continued his reckless streak of the night, and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Richie's.
> 
> title is from "tyrants" by catfish and the bottlemen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has nsfw content at the end, just a warning! it's more explicit than the past few chapters

The week seemed to last forever. Probably because Eddie was obsessively waiting for Friday night. He wanted to see Richie again (because he's very stupid and very gay). Two parties two weekends in a row was not a common experience for Eddie. He normally went to one, maybe two a month. They weren't really his scene, but sometimes it was fun to just be a dumb teenager. 

Finally,  _ finally _ it was Friday. Eddie was jittery all through his morning classes. They just couldn't go fast enough. When his classes were finally over, he all but sprinted back to his dorm. He had to get ready for the party. Sure, it was only 2:15, and he wouldn't be leaving until like 7:00, and he was probably being irrational about getting ready this early, but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to shower and pick out the perfect out. Maybe even dust on some makeup. 

When he got back to his dorm, Stan was sitting at his desk. Calculator out, textbook opened, pencils sharpened. He meant business. Eddie didn't expect him to stop his work to talk, but sure enough, Stan swiveled in his chair to look at Eddie. 

"Didn't your class end like, ten minutes ago? Did you run back?"

"Just a brisk walk. Gotta stay in shape."

Stan nodded knowingly. "Gotta get ready for Richie?"

"Who's Richie?" Eddie said, trying to play it cool. Needless to say, it did not work.

"Do you really think this is all a good idea? Like, what if it just blows up and then you're stuck living with him next year?"

Eddie sighed. Stan did have a point, and he was being the much needed voice of reason. But still, he didn't want to listen to him. He didn't want him to be right. So instead of admitting that Stan was maybe correct, he just teased, "There's nothing wrong with a little flirting!"

At that, Eddie grabbed his towel and shower caddy and ducked out to the showers. He didn't really want to listen to whatever logical argument Stan had against his flirtation point. 

He spends more time than usual in the shower, really pampering himself. He wants to smell good. He wants to feel good. And maybe he spends the whole shower fighting thoughts of Richie and his dumb long fingers and his messy dark hair and his stupid freckles. Whatever. It's no big deal.

\---

The hours seem to pass slower than ever. Eddie checked his phone basically every fifteen minutes, always shocked that only fifteen minutes had passed. But finally Ben turned to Eddie and said "Do you wanna head over?" 

Of course, he tried to nonchalantly reply "Yeah, sure." It still came out a little squeakier than normal. So the three roommates got ready to leave. Ben was dressed like a normal college kid, with a flannel layered over a t-shirt and regular jeans. Stan looked like a forty year old stuffed into a college kid's body, wearing a polo and khakis. Eddie had tried to talk him into changing, but Stan insisted he looked just fine. Eddie had decided to be casual. He didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard. He was wearing a plain t-shirt with his favorite maroon jacket and some black jeans. He had dusted some glitter over his cheekbones, though. Just a little something special. 

The three embarked on their walk. The party was at a frat house, so it was like a ten minute walk from the dorms. Close enough for the walk to be pleasant, but far enough for Eddie to be freaking out the whole time. He just wanted to be there already.

Stan and Ben were having a conversation the whole walk over, but Eddie couldn't even be bothered to pay attention. He wondered if Richie would even care that he was there. And then he hated himself for wondering if Richie would even care. And then he wondered if Richie was going to hook up with some poor, unsuspecting soul like he had last weekend (when that poor, unsuspecting soul was Eddie). He was shaken from his thoughts by the sight of the house. There were kids standing around outside, mostly smoking. Music could be heard from inside, but Eddie didn't know the song. It was rap, and Eddie didn't really listen to rap. That was part of the reason he always felt alienated at parties.

As the three approached the house, Bill stumbled over to them. He had a cup clasped in his hand, undoubtedly some form of alcohol. "H-h-hey, guys! Come on in, g-g-get a d-drink!" 

Eddie wondered if he had always stuttered like that, and if he had just not noticed. Ben seemed to read his mind, because he leaned into Eddie and mumbled, "His stutter comes out when he drinks. He used to have a bad one, but went to speech therapy for it."

Eddie nodded. He didn't really know what to say to that. Props to therapy, though! It really does wonders.

Bill led them into the kitchen, where Eddie could feel the vibrations of the music in his bones. Bill handed Eddie a drink, telling him it was a rum and coke, and Eddie just went with it. He didn't drink enough to have a preferred drink, so as long as it tasted okay, he would drink it. And the good thing about rum and coke is that it really just tastes like coke. It was then that Eddie's gaze was drawn to the center of the room. 

Richie stood, surrounded by a circle of mostly drunk kids, chugging a drink. The crowd was cheering him on, a mix of "Chug, chug, chug!" and a few shouts of "Yeah, Richie!"

And damn it, he looked good. He was effortlessly chugging his beer. He was wearing normal Richie clothes: a tattered band shirt and ripped jeans, but he had made it his party style by adding a slightly horrendous Hawaiin shirt on top. His hair was messier than usual, and Eddie thought he looked like a walking wet dream.

"No way! Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie sing-songed when he noticed Eddie. He sat his now empty cup on the counter and stumbled over. He wasn't drunk, but he always stumbled because his legs were so fucking long. He immediately put his arm around Eddie's shoulder, and Eddie could smell the beer on his breath. A very good way to pull him out of his fantasy, because beer breath was disgusting.

"Honored you came," Richie said with a giggle, curtseying to Eddie. Eddie blushed, just a little, but covered it by taking a sip of his drink. Ben tapped him on the shoulder, motioning to the back deck. Eddie nodded, starting to follow.

"Leaving me already?" Richie said through an exaggerated frown.

"Why don't you come with!" Eddie suggested. He didn't know if he wanted Richie to say yes or no. Either way he was going to act like a fool. Richie smiled, and nodded his head forward, signalling Eddie to start walking. Once outside, Eddie felt a little calmer. He no longer felt deafened by the music. 

Richie hoisted himself up onto the deck railing, and Eddie was surprised he didn't immediately fall off. He had a shocking amount of balance for a man of his proportions. The group fell into a conversation consisting mostly of banter. Eddie tried to steal a glance at Richie, but Richie was already looking at him, so instead he just met his eyes. It felt weirdly intimate, seeing as they were at a party and talking with a whole group. 

"Hey, Rich!" was what eventually tore Richie's eyes from Eddie's. It came from a tallish, slender, red-haired girl. She made her way over to the group, followed by a man with kind eyes. 

"This is Beverly, and that's Mike!" Richie explained. Eddie connected the dots, realizing that was the same Mike that Bill had told them about. He wondered who this Beverly girl was, though. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a pang of jealousy at how close she was standing to Richie.

"I've known Bev since we were kids. She keeps me out of prison," Richie further explained.

"Barely. It's hard work," Beverly said with a cheeky smile. Eddie laughed lightly. He realized Richie had only really been talking to him. The rest of the group was now engrossed in their own conversation. He brought his eyes back to Richie and Beverly, who were now uselessly bickering about something. He didn't know what.

Eddie fidgeted with the hem of his jacket, unsure of what to do. This was another reason he wasn't crazy about parties. He always inevitably ended up feeling isolated. He watched Bev reach into her purse, pulling out a blunt. Eddie's breath hitched. He had grown up thinking he had asthma, so it was just a conditioned response to seeing anything that resulted in smoke. He shouldn't have been that surprised though, because Richie really does seem like the kind of guy to smoke.

Bev held the blunt out to Richie, who had a lighter ready. Once it was lit, she took a hit. Richie reached for it next, bringing it to his lips. He looked almost pornographic as he took a drag. The image of RIchie blowing smoke out of his mouth was somehow the hottest image Eddie had  _ ever _ seen. He wanted to see it again. And again. And again. Richie raised his eyebrows at Eddie, extending the blunt out to him.

"Oh, uh, no thanks. Weak lungs." Eddie said, motioning to his lungs.

Richie nodded, thinking for a second. Then he waved Eddie over closer, and Eddie complied. He was now standing between Richie's legs, with Richie hovering over him. He had to slouch a bit, since he was so tall and Eddie so short. 

"I'm gonna take a hit, and then you're gonna kiss me. It'll be easier on your lungs." Richie paused, waiting for Eddie to say something. When he didn't, Richie added a quick, "If you're okay with that."

Eddie nodded, entranced by Richie. He didn't know if this would actually be easier on his lungs, but he did know he wanted to kiss Richie again. So he went with it.

Richie brought the blunt back to his lips, inhaling. He put his other hand on the back of Eddie's head, pulling him in closer. Eddie closed the space between them, attaching their lips. Richie licked into Eddie's mouth, and suddenly Eddie felt it. The smoke from Richie's mouth slid into Eddie's, along with Richie's tongue. They kissed for a moment longer before Eddie pulled back, coughing. He felt like he had done something wrong. Richie chuckled.

"You have to keep breathing, Eds." Eddie blushed at the nickname, and Richie raised the blunt back to his mouth.

"Name's not Eds," he grumbled, but Richie was already pulling him back in. 

This time, Eddie kept breathing. It was hard, because he so entrenched in Richie's mouth that he almost forgot how to breathe entirely, but he didn't want to have a coughing fit, and he certainly didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Richie (again). 

Eddie threaded his fingers into Richie's hair, deepening the kiss. It was weird, kissing so publicly. Richie tasted like a mix of beer and weed, which was not very pleasant, but Eddie didn't mind. He really liked having Richie's tongue in his mouth. His dick liked it, too.

But then his brain caught up with his actions, and he pulled back. Richie looked at him with a look of concern. Eddie just gave a soft smile and excused himself to the restroom, walking away probably too quickly. He was sure that he had raised some level of suspicion, but he had to get out of there before he gave Richie a blowjob right in front of everyone.

He scrambled through the house, pushing past drunk college kids in search of the bathroom. He ended up stumbling up the stairs, trying every door until he finally found one that opened. Luckily, it was the bathroom. 

Eddie stared at himself in the mirror. He looked positively fucked. His lips were red and his eyes were dark. His hair was an absolute mess, so he started combing his hands through it. He leaned forward and splashed cold water on his face, trying to get Richie out of his head. He really needed to get Richie out of his head. 

Richie. RichieRichieRichie. Just seconds ago he had been melting into Richie's touch. He really wished he could get out of his own head, just let himself have fun and kiss Richie, but he couldn't. All he could think about was what Stan would say tomorrow. 

_ You need to be careful. You said you were just flirting, but then you let him stick his tongue down your throat. Don't be stupid. _

He felt bad, really. He knows he was acting so weird around Richie. One second he was kissing him, and the next he was running off. One second he was sexting him, and the next he was leaving him on read. He just didn't know what to do.

He heard a knock on the door. He jumped slightly, calling out, "Occupied!"

He expected that to be the end of it, but then he heard a voice through the door.

"Eds, let me in. Is everything okay?"

Richie. He must have followed him. Eddie thought for a moment. He could just tell him to fuck off, but he didn't want to. He wanted to open the door. He wanted Richie to pin him against the door and leave a trail of hickies down his neck. He wanted to suck his dick right now.

Against his better judgment, Eddie turned the lock on the doorknob and let Richie in. Richie stepped in quickly, shutting the door behind himself.

"Are you okay?" Richie asked immediately, seeming genuinely concerned. 

"Yeah, the mix of alcohol and weed just hit me, I guess." Eddie avoided Richie's eyes.

Richie stepped towards Eddie, closing the gap between them. He put his hands on both sides of Eddie's head, lowering his own head to look into Eddie's eyes.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty freaked." 

Eddie nodded, then he paused. His eyes flitted from Richie's eyes to his lips, and then back to his eyes again. His eyes were dark, too. And his lips were so red. So Eddie continued his reckless streak of the night, and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Richie's. Richie kissed him back immediately, carding his fingers through the short hair on the back of Eddie's neck. 

Richie flipped them around, pushing Eddie's back against the door. Jackpot. Just what Eddie had wanted. Richie's lips started moving down Eddie's neck, licking and biting until Eddie was a moaning mess beneath him. Then Richie slotted his thigh between Eddie's legs, and Eddie let out a borderline pornographic moan at the friction. 

"Yeah, you like that, baby?" Richie said, his voice sounding wrecked. All Eddie could do was nod frantically, grinding down on Richie's thigh. Richie attached his lips back to Eddie's throat, finding that one spot that makes Eddie go absolutely nuts. 

Eddie slid his hand between them, fiddling for Richie's zipper. He finally found it, unzipping and sliding his hand into the front of Richie's pants, palming his erection. Richie groaned against Eddie's neck, and Eddie made up his mind right then.

He sunk down to his knees, looking up at Richie as he tugged on his jeans, pulling them down. Richie looked gone, so completely fucked. Eddie was sure he looked the same. Eddie pulled at the waistband of Richie's underwear, watching as his cock sprung free. He subconsciously licked his lips. 

Richie leaned back against the wall, knees going weak from the sight in front of him. When Eddie pressed a kiss to the head of his cock, his hips jerked forward instinctively. 

They were both much more sober this time. Eddie hadn't remembered how big Richie was, and Richie hadn't remembered how good Eddie was with his mouth. Eddie took the tip of Richie's cock into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Richie, desperate for something to hold on to, threaded his fingers into Eddie's hair, tugging slightly.

Eddie took him further into his mouth, wrapping his fist around the base. He bobbed his head a few times, revelling in the noises coming from Richie's mouth. When he took him particularly deep, Richie couldn't help but buck his hips forward, causing Eddie to gag. Eddie pulled back, lips wet with precum and spit.

"God, I'm sorry, Eds." Richie said apologetically, terrified that he had hurt him.

"Do it again." was all the left Eddie's lips before he was back on Richie's cock. Richie was confused at first, but then Eddie looked up at him, nodding, and he got it.

He returned his hands to Eddie's hair and started thrusting up. He started slowly at first, not wanting to hurt Eddie. But when he felt Eddie moan around him, and saw Eddie snake one of his hands down to palm himself through his jeans, Richie let go.

He fucked into Eddie's face at a brutal pace, so fast and so deep that Eddie found his face buried in the curly hair at Richie's base on every thrust. Eddie had tears brimming in the corners of his eyes, and he was gagging repeatedly, and he looked so completely debauched. He loved every second of it. 

When he looked up at Richie, blinking innocently, Richie nearly came down his throat. Instead, he pulled Eddie off, jerking himself quickly and coming on Eddie's face with a long groan, painting his flushed cheeks with white ropes of cum. Eddie sat on the ground, breathing heavily, and stuck his tongue out to gather some of the cum on his lip. 

Richie pulled Eddie up, reaching between them to unzip Eddie's jeans. He practically tore his cock out of his underwear, fist pumping quickly as Eddie was reduced to a moaning mess in his hands. 

"God, look how hard you are. Just from having my cock down your throat. You love it, don't you? Choking on my cock like that, feeling my cum on your face." Richie whispered roughly into his ear. Eddie all but sobbed. 

It didn't take long for Richie to finish him off, and he came with a string of  _ Richie Richie Richie's  _ falling from his lips. Richie stroked him through his orgasm, milking him completely, until he was almost overstimulated.

They both took a second to catch their breath. Eddie walked over to the sink, grabbing a tissue for himself before passing the box over to Richie.

"That - that was good. You're so fucking hot." Richie muttered, wiping his hand clean.

Eddie blushed, but he didn't really know why. Minutes ago he had Richie down his throat, so those words shouldn't draw such a reaction. They're not nearly as obscene as the other things Richie had said.

"We should do that again." Eddie said, not pausing to think about whether or not that was a good idea. He just wanted Richie to fuck him again. 

Richie nodded, eyes still glazed over from a mix of weed and horniness.

Eddie washed his hands, letting himself out of the bathroom. Richie followed closely behind. They both returned to their friends casually, acting as if nothing strange had happened. They played off their absence as a quest to get more drinks.

But Stan met Eddie's eyes, and he knew. And he gave him a look that said  _ What the fuck is wrong with you?  _

But Eddie ignored it, laughing with the rest of the group about whatever dumb thing Richie had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh i've never been to a college party so i'm sorry if this is inaccurate. i swear i'm a college student i'm just also an introvert. also i'm trying to write smut as well as i can as a fuckin virgin so my bad if it's bad
> 
> i have decided this shall be a slow burn in the ~emotional~ sense, but that they shall continue to get it on
> 
> leave kudos and comments!!!! i did this instead of my tv aesthetics homework so give me praise!!!!!


	5. checking my phone for you, baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie stared at the number in front of him. He felt too powerful, having Richie's number like that. But he copied it, switching to his messages app to send a text nonetheless.
> 
> title is from "glasgow" by catfish and the bottlemen

They decide to leave the party around 1 in the morning. Eddie's been catching glances from Stan all night, but he hasn't said anything. Not yet, at least. Eddie is sure he's going to get an earful on the walk back.

But then he doesn't. All Stan talks about is some movie Mike had been talking about. He doesn't mention Richie. He doesn't even bring up the weed, which Eddie knows he isn't too fond of. And so Eddie thinks that maybe Stan has stopped being so neurotic about Eddie and Richie, and that he's finally going to drop it. 

When they get back to their dorm, all of them varying degrees of intoxicated, they all crash nearly immediately. Eddie's out like a light. He always sleeps well after a hookup. He sleeps  _ especially  _ well after this hook up. He has a worriless sleep, dreaming about Richie and his stupid long fingers. 

But then the next day, when he finally rouses, he is face to face with Stan. 

"Good morning, idiot," are the first words out of Stan's mouth.

"What time is it? Why are you hovering over me like my mom?" 

Stan was not amused. Eddie rolled over to grab his phone and check the time. His clock read 10:23 AM. He also had a  _ lot  _ of snapchats from Richie. He would have to check those later.

"Why are you so stupid?" were the next words that Stan uttered. There was a bite to his words, like he was genuinely upset with Eddie. Eddie decides to just play it dumb.

"What?" Eddie asks plainly. He knew it wouldn't happen, but he did have a hope that Stan would just drop it and move on.

"You don't think it's obvious that you and Richie hooked up last night? First you're just openly making out with him and smoking weed, and then you disappear and come back with a trillion hickies on your neck and Richie's hair is considerably more disheveled than normal. You guys didn't even try to be sly."

"Ok, who the fuck uses the word 'sly' casually in conversation?" Eddie utters defensively, trying to change the subject. It doesn't work.

"I do, you bitch. Seriously, Eddie. How do you think this is going to play out?"

"I don't know. I like being around him. And he's really good in bed. I just wanted to let myself be a little more reckless than I usually am. Have a little college fun."

Stan sighs. He understands where Eddie is coming from, he really does. But he also can't turn off the logical part of his brain that knows this is inevitably going to blow up in everyone's faces.

Eddie continues his argument, getting a little more defensive as he says, "Plus, the first time we hooked up, I didn't know who he was. How could I have possibly known what the future held?"

"Well, now you do. And you're still doing the same thing. Except not really, because you're doing it more."

"Doing what more?"

"Flirting with Richie. Constantly. Spending a lot of time with him. All of that." Stan says, nearly emotionless. Eddie hated it when Stan got this way, when he was so irritated he became apathetic.

"Look, I know it could end terribly, but it also might not, so like, why not take the chance?" 

"I can give you one very, very good reason why not: because we're all going to live together next year. That's not even that soon. Do you know how much shit could go down before then? You guys could hate each other. You guys could be enemies by the time the next school year starts."

Eddie hadn't really thought of it like that. He guessed that somewhere in his mind he realized they wouldn't be moving in together for a long time, but he had always thought of that as something more positive. Like, if something bad happened, there would be time for the wound to heal. But now he's realizing that it could also mean that a lot of shit could happen between the two of them. And then next fall would roll around, and there would legally binding documents forcing them to live under the same roof.

Now Eddie didn't know what to do. Cause he really did like what he was doing with Richie, but he also knew it could affect more people than just him if it ended poorly.

"I'll think about that. But I'm not going to make any promises about what I'm going to do." Eddie said, a slight hint of stubbornness in his voice.

Stan's face softened a bit. "As long as you're going to consider the possible outcomes."

Eddie broke a smile. "That was such a math major thing of you to say. You're a natural born accountant."

Stan smiled back. Eddie could always use a joke to get through to Stan in times of turmoil. Stan turned around, muttering something about going to meet some classmates at the library to prepare for a big test in one of his classes. Eddie only half listened, scrolling through instagram as Stan spoke. He saw Ben had posted some pictures from the party last night, and was offended that he wasn't in any of them. He opened the comments, typing out a quick message.

_ I am downright offended that you would dare to take these photos and not include any of me. _

He hit send, continuing his scroll down. He was thumbing pointlessly through his explore page when he got another snapchat from Richie. He decided he was safe to open them now. Stan was at the library, and he didn't know where Ben was, but he figured he would be gone long enough for whatever awaited Eddie behind the little red box.

He opened the app, clicking on Richie's name. A picture of a hickey on Richie's chest filled Eddie's screen, and he would be lying if he said it didn't immediately interest his dick. There was a simple  **thanks** typed across the screen. It was nice to see that he had left some marks for Richie just like Richie had done to him. He clicked to the next image, which was Richie this morning, laying in his bed. His hair was a different kind of messy: his normal mess was styled, but this mess was just genuine bed head. His freckles looked so cute sprinkled across his nose, which was scrunched up from the light in his eyes. 

Okay, so those were pretty PG rated. Nothing to worry about. But he still had all the regular messages from Richie to read, so he clicked on the now light blue box next to Richie's contact. He had over a dozen messages from Richie, ranging from late last night to this morning:

**(1:14 AM) that was nice**

**(1:14 AM) let's do it again sometime**

**(1:14 AM) soon **

**(1:16 AM) sorry if i'm too forward for u**

**(1:16 AM) i just think ur really hot**

**(1:16 AM) like really fucking hot**

And then a few hours later, at 3 AM, he had sent a few more:

**(3:03 AM) god . miss ur mouth**

**(3:03 AM) i know i came like three hours ago but still. wannna feel my dick in ur mouth again**

**(3:04 AM) wanna get my mouth on u. take u apart.**

**(3:06 AM) wish u were up**

And that had been it for the night. But this morning, Richie had started sending a few more:

**(10:21 AM) woke up hard. dreamt of ur pretty lips stretched around my cock.**

**(10:21 AM) it was a nice dream**

**(10:22 AM) it was also a nice reality**

**(10:22 AM) i hope ur throat isn't too sore**

**(10:23 AM) don't wanna hurt u, u know**

**(10:24 AM) just wanna make u feel good**

**(10:47 AM) are u up yet**

**(10:47 AM) do u wanna get food**

And now Eddie was hard, at 11 AM on a Sunday morning, because Richie fucking Tozier really did have a trashmouth and really did know exactly what to say to turn him on. Eddie slid up on his keyboard to type a reply.

_ (10:51 AM) yeah, sure _

_ (10:51 AM) can i shower first _

**(10:52 AM) i guesssss. i don't mind u all dirty ;)**

_ (10:52 AM) you're gross. i'll text when i'm out. _

**(10:53 AM) here's my number so we can message for real and not just like the horny teenagers we are.**

Eddie stared at the number in front of him. He felt too powerful, having Richie's number like that. But he copied it, switching to his messages app to send a text nonetheless.

_ (10:55 AM) hey! it's eddie :) _

The typing bubbles immediately appeared.

**(10:55 AM) hello eddie, this is ur mom**

**(10:55 AM) hahahahahhaha jk it's richie**

Eddie rolled his eyes. Richie really was a lot. He typed out one last message before grabbing his shower caddy.

_ (10:56 AM) hopping in the shower now _

Eddie took a quick shower, washing his hair quickly. He put on his face wash, and against his better judgment, he didn't wait the recommended 30 seconds before washing it off. He was in a rush to get ready for Richie. The whole shower he was mentally planning out his outfit. He had to wear something that made him look good, but not so good that it was obvious he had tried so hard. He mentally decided upon this nice flannel he had, and some khakis. A classic Eddie Kaspbrak outfit. Nicer than a typical Sunday outfit for him, but he didn't care.

When he got out of the shower, he rushed to get dressed. He spent a good two minutes styling his hair, making sure he looked good. He felt so stupid, caring so much about how he looked. But he couldn't help it. Richie seemed to be effortlessly hot as fuck, so Eddie had to try to be even close to his level. He finally deemed himself presentable enough, so he went to grab his phone to text Richie that he was ready, which was when he saw Richie's last message.

**(10:57 AM) wishin i was there with u. hope i'm in ur thoughts**

Eddie sighed. Richie really didn't ever turn it off. Always with his goddamn words. Ignoring that, as he did with most of Richie's sexts, he rattled off a quick message.

_ (11:21 AM) i'm ready whenever u are!! _

Seconds later, he heard a knock at his door. He went to open it, only to be met with Richie's big, toothy grin. Richie must have been just waiting here in his building for that text. Eddie was slightly embarrassed, wondering why Richie even cared so much. 

"Shall we?" Richie asked, motioning out ahead of him for Eddie to step forward. Eddie let out a little giggle, double checking that he had his keys, phone, and wallet before leaving his dorm. 

And they ended up having a lovely lunch, despite the fact that every single time Richie touched him, no matter how casually, Eddie nearly imploded on the spot. And despite the fact that now there was a tiny little Stan in the back of his mind, reminding him that this was not a very bright idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> confession: when i started this i had literally no plan for where it was going to go. now i do! i mapped everything out today and added a chapter count and all that jazz.
> 
> also i just really love regular college reddie because they deserved that sort of normalcy. 
> 
> also i decided i need to put timestamps on the messages so now i gotta go back and update the past chapters lmao


	6. you can leather me with your lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Would you ever want to hook up again?" Richie asked casually, barely taking his eyes off of his notes. Eddie looked up at RIchie, eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little. He was shocked, to say the very least.
> 
> title is from "kathleen" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie and Richie had started spending a lot of time together. Just casually, but time together nonetheless. Richie now accompanied Eddie to the library, and he just sat there pretending to do homework while Eddie worked. (What Eddie didn't see, though, was that Richie was stealing glances of him the whole time. He loved the way Eddie looked when he was focusing.)

They were texting a lot, mostly just sending memes back and forth. Eddie rarely had a meal without Richie. It was kind of weird, because they were just hanging out like friends, but it still felt  _ electric _ . They hadn't talked about the times they had hooked up, or the fact that Richie still sexts Eddie late at night when he's feeling lonely and vulnerable, or the fact that sometimes, if he catches him at the right moment, Eddie will sext Richie back. They almost acted like none of it had ever happened. Except, obviously, it had happened, and it seemed to hang in the air around them sometimes. 

That's why when Richie randomly brings it up one Wednesday, Eddie nearly chokes on air. The two of them were at the library, hidden away in Eddie's favorite corner. Eddie was studying for an exam he had coming up, and for once, Richie was actually working, too. He was studying for a test about camera equipment (and normally he wouldn't study, but Eddie was a positive influence). They were sitting quietly, both engrossed in their work.

"Would you ever want to hook up again?" Richie asked casually, barely taking his eyes off of his notes. Eddie looked up at RIchie, eyes wide and mouth hanging open a little. He was shocked, to say the very least.

Eddie cleared his throat, stuttering out an "Um, what?"

Richie put his pen down and sat up a little straighter, leaning in closer. Eddie was thankful, because he wasn't sure who could hear them, and he didn't exactly want these random students to learn about his sex life.

"I asked if you'd ever want to fuck again. I thought it was fun. And really good. But you never respond whenever I ask over text. Even when you've been sexting back already. You just ignore it, or you stop replying all together."

Eddie didn't know what to say. He knew what he  _ wanted  _ to say. But he also couldn't stop himself from thinking about what Stan would say. So he sat there, thinking for a moment. He was chewing on his bottom lip and flitting his eyes around as he weighed his options. 

"I just don't know if that's the smartest thing since we're like, gonna live together next year." Eddie hoped Richie wouldn't push any further, because he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

"Well, yeah, but I think we're adults. I think we're mature enough."

Eddie looked at Richie, bewildered. Did Richie Tozier just describe himself as mature? Richie seemed to understand Eddie's train of thought, because he chuckled and said, "Okay,  _ you're _ mature enough."

Eddie smiled and let out a breathy laugh. Richie started talking again.

"I think it would be fine. It's college, who cares if it's maybe a dumb idea." Richie leaned in closer, so that his nose was almost touching Eddie's, and he lowered his voice even more. "Plus, I think you know you want me to fuck you again. I know that all I ever think about is your mouth on my dick."

Eddie's breath caught in his throat, and Richie sat back casually, as if he hadn't just started dirty talking to Eddie in the middle of the library with tens of students around them. Eddie thought for another moment. He figured Richie was right (okay, he knew Richie was wrong, but he didn't want to think that, so he ignored that thought completely). Now it was Eddie's turn to lean in close and lower his voice.

"I guess you're right. I do want you to fuck me again. And I want my mouth on your dick again. So what the hell, let's do it." Richie grinned, satisfied with how quickly Eddie gave in. He wouldn't have said anything if he wasn't positive that Eddie also wanted to hook up again, so he pretty much knew Eddie would say yes. Then Eddie spoke up again.

"But there have to be rules. Like no one can know. Stan already hates me for hooking up with you at that party. He thinks I'm just a dumb, horny gay. Which, he's right, but he'd be mad if he knew we were going to do this again."

Richie nodded. "Okay, that works for me. Is this going to be a regular occurrence?"

"Yeah. But we can't let this get emotional or anything. That seems like a bad idea, since like, we're going to live together."

"Eddie, it may surprise you, but I actually am aware that we're living together next year. You don't have to remind me every five seconds." Eddie smiled, glad Richie was lightening the mood a little. RIchie smiled back, continuing, "So how often are we going to fuck?" Eddie paused. He didn't really know what a good answer to that was. He wanted to say  _ whenever you want, Richie  _ but he knew that would be the dumbest fucking thing possible.

"I don't know. Are you asking me to make a sex schedule?" While he was joking, he would if Richie asked. 

"No, no, I just wanted to know if this is like a thing where I text you when I'm horny and you come over, and vice versa."

"Uh, yeah. I think that would make the most sense." Eddie nodded as he spoke.

"Okay. And either of us can call this off whenever." Richie was saying it more for Eddie's sake than his own. He didn't see himself wanting to stop, ever. Which maybe was a bad sign, since this wasn't supposed to get too emotional. Richie would deal with that later. He was fine to be another repressed bisexual, as long as he was fucking Eddie. 

"So, should we like, shake on it?" Eddie asked tentatively. He was unsure of was to do next.

"I'm sorry, is this a business deal?" Richie shot back. Eddie laughed. Richie liked to make Eddie laugh. Eddie liked it when Richie made him laugh. Neither of them would ever admit that, though.

They both got quiet again, returning to their studying. Except neither of them were really focusing that much, both minds wandering to thoughts of the other. It was like a game of chicken, who would ask first. It was Richie, obviously.

"So, did you wanna do this now?" Richie asked, trying to sound as casual and not turned on as possible. He had been fighting a hard on ever since Eddie had agreed.

"God, yes," Eddie breathed out, shutting his notebook. They both packed their things into their bags hurriedly.

"My place?" Richie asked. He knew the answer was yes.

"Yeah, cause Stan and Ben and stuff."

"Okay, let me just text Bill." Eddie had a split second thought that maybe Richie would tell Bill, and that Bill would tell Ben or Stan, but he let that thought leave his mind as quickly as it had entered. That was something to worry about tomorrow. Right now he was only focused on getting his hands on Richie again. 

\---

The walk to Richie's dorm was short, but it felt like forever. Finally they were in front of room 402. Richie slid his key into the lock, turning swiftly and pushing all in one motion. He did a quick scan to make sure Bill was gone. He was - Bill was a very good roommate when it came to Richie getting laid.

As soon as the door was shut, Richie had his mouth on Eddie. Their kisses were sloppy. Hurried. Horny. Eddie had his hands in Richie's hair, and Richie had his under Eddie's shirt. He was running his fingers over Eddie's chest, stopping to tweak his nipples when they got that far up. Eddie moaned into the kiss, and Richie started moving Eddie towards the bed. 

Hooking up in a twin XL bed was not at all ideal, but Richie had gotten good at it. He had figured out just how to move without falling off the bed or squishing his partner to death. Eddie slid back onto the bed, pulling his shirt over his head as he did so. Richie followed suit before climbing on top of Eddie. He had his lips on Eddie's neck instantly, and Eddie had his hands back in Richie's hair, tugging everytime Richie hit a particularly sensitive spot. It only took Richie a few seconds to have Eddie reduced to a whining mess in front of him, desperate for  _ something _ . 

Eddie pushed his hips up into Richie's, needing some sort of friction. Richie laughed breathily against Eddie's neck, using one hand to push his hips back onto the bed.

"You want something, Eds?" 

Eddie fucking hated Richie's mouth. He actually loved it, but that's why he hated it. Richie knew just what to say to make Eddie nearly come in his pants. He knew just what words would make Eddie do anything he asked.

"A-anything," Eddie moaned out, sounding completely fucked already.

"You're going to have to ask nicely, princess." Richie sat up, looking down at Eddie to admire the smattering of hickies he had left. Eddie nearly whined at the absence of Richie's mouth on his chest.

"Your hands. Mouth. Dick. I don't care, just give me  _ something _ , Chee." 

Before Eddie had even finished talking, Richie was undoing his pants. He quickly pulled them off, tossing them to the ground. Richie leaned back down, breath hot on Eddie's neck. He slowly lowered his hand to Eddie's clothed dick, palming him gently. Eddie bucked up into the sudden friction, but Richie once again pushed his hips back against the bed. 

"You're going to have to tell me  _ exactly _ what you want from me, Eds."

Eddie groaned, completely lost in the bliss that was Richie's palm. But it wasn't enough, and Richie knew that. He knew he could get Eddie to say filthy things. 

"Fuck, Richie, just. I want you to fuck me. I want you to open me up with your - fuck - your fingers, and then, fuck, I want you to fuck me into the mattress. Please." Eddie nearly sobbed out his last please, as Richie had pulled down his briefs and crawled down his body. 

"Eddie, baby, could you grab me the lube from the top drawer there?" Eddie nodded furiously, scrambling to get the lube from the nightstand. Richie traced shapes on Eddie's thighs as he waited. Eddie tossed the lube down to Richie, and Eddie could hear the cap seconds later.

Richie placed a slick finger at Eddie's entrance, circling the muscle. Eddie writhed at the touch, letting out a whine. He just wanted Richie to touch him. And then Richie slid his finger in, and Eddie let out an obscene moan. It was tight, since Richie's fingers were so much longer and thicker than Eddie's, but it felt so good.

"Is this what you wanted, baby?" Richie said gently, placing a kiss to Eddie's hip bone. 

"Fuck. Y-yes, Chee." Eddie was having a very hard time speaking at this point.

Before long, Richie added a second finger. It burned a little, but soon Richie found that  _ spot _ and Eddie's mind filled with bliss. Richie continued stretching him, scissoring his fingers before adding a third, still hitting that  _ spot _ for Eddie. 

"Rich, please. Fuck me, Richie. Want your cock." Eddie whined out, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, baby? You want me to fuck you? You want to feel me inside your tight little hole?" 

Eddie heard the cap of the lube again and the tear of a condom wrapper. Then Richie was lifting Eddie's hips and lining himself up with Eddie. He finally pushed in, slowly, allowing Eddie to adjust. Eddie moaned out, loving the feeling of being so full. With Richie. Richie leaned down and kissed Eddie's collarbone, almost gently. It seemed like he was trying to comfort Eddie as he adjusted to the stretch. 

"Fuck, move, please. I'm ready for you, Rich." Eddie said breathily, barely able to form a coherent thought that wasn't  _ Richie's dick Richie's fingers Richie's mouth. _

"You sure, Eds? Don't wanna hurt you," but Eddie just nodded and pulled at Richie's hair a little, and that was all Richie needed. He pulled out before thrusting back in, starting to set a fast pace. Richie was fucking him deep, and Eddie knew he wouldn't last long. 

"You look so pretty taking my cock, Eddie. Love seeing you all desperate for it. Love the way you sound when I'm fucking you." Richie kept uttering dirty things to Eddie as he snapped his hips forward. Eddie was too blissed out to talk back, just moaning in encouragement. Richie was hitting Eddie's prostate with nearly every other thrust, and Eddie could feel his orgasm approaching.

"'M close, Rich. So close, fuck." 

"Me too, wanna see you come on my cock, baby."

Richie wrapped his hand around Eddie's dick, and Eddie arched his back off the bed at the sudden contact. It only took a few pumps for Eddie to spill into Richie's hand and onto his own stomach. Eddie came with a long string of  _ fucks  _ and  _ Richie's.  _

Richie wasn't far behind, and seeing Eddie come apart with his name on his lips was all it took to send Richie over the edge. He fucked them both through their orgasms, panting hard.

When they had both come down from their highs, Richie pulled out, laying next to Eddie. It was almost like cuddling, since the bed was so small. 

"Fuck, that was good." Richie said, grabbing a tissue to clean Eddie's stomach and his own hand. All Eddie could do was nod, completely fucked out. 

They both laid there for a moment, just to catch their breath (that was what they both told themselves, pretending they didn't also like being so close). Eventually, Eddie sat up. He needed to get back to his dorm. He had class tomorrow and hadn't finished all of his work. 

"I gotta go. I have work to finish, sorry," Eddie mumbled as he climbed awkwardly out of bed, gathering his clothes and getting redressed. Richie stared at him as he dressed, thinking about how good Eddie looked with his hair all messy from getting fucked. 

"Um, that was nice? I don't know what I'm supposed to say here, but it was good." Eddie laughed nervously.

"I get it, there's no lesson on what to say after getting fucked really well by your friend." Eddie rolled his eyes at Richie's cocky comment.

He pulled his shoes on and reached for the doorknob.

"I'll text you," Richie said. 

"I know you will." Eddie laughed lightly, and Richie cracked a smile.

And then Eddie was heading back to his dorm, and he was kind of sore, but he didn't care. He hoped Stan wouldn't figure out where he had been. But also, he didn't really care anymore. Because he really liked being around Richie. And maybe he was doing something very, very stupid, but it's not like he always needed to make reasonable choices. It was nice to do something just because he wanted to, just because it felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorryyyy this took a little longer to update. #schoolsucks!!! 
> 
> as always, i am gonna beg u for some comments and kudos bc i really am a slut for validation!!


	7. we're trying to play this off like it's not all we think about

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie frowns for real this time. He almost says "But I miss you," but he doesn't because that would be emotional and that's something that they're not doing.
> 
> And when Eddie sees Richie's disappointed face, he almost gives in and says "I guess you matter more than my studying," but he doesn't because that would be emotional and that's something they're not doing.
> 
> title is from "basically" by catfish and the bottlemen

At this point, Eddie basically lives at the library. It's midterms season, which means he's on a strict schedule of going to class, studying for class, sleeping, and then starting the cycle back up. His phone's on do not disturb, and it will stay that way until he takes his last midterm. He doesn't have time to be interrupted by texts or social media. 

Eddie's always been like this. Whenever he would have midterms or final exams in high school, he would essentially become a hermit while he studied. He didn't think it was that strange. His mom had  _ insisted  _ he do it at first, but now it's just a habit for him. And it works, too. He always gets A's on his exams.

Richie, however, does not like this newfound (to him) trait of Eddie's. Eddie feels kind of bad for him, because he sees how many texts Richie's been sending, but he doesn't really have time to hang out (or hook up, for that matter). 

He's sitting on the fourth floor of the library, isolated at a corner desk, when Richie plops down next to him. Eddie doesn't notice. He's so focused on his biology textbook, and he's got his headphones blasting classical music to help him focus. But then Richie reaches forward and pulls one earphone out of Eddie's ear, and Eddie's head snaps up to find the culprit who interrupted his studying. He's met with Richie's stupid face, one arm slung down on Eddie's desk so that he can lean. From this angle, Eddie's looking down at Richie, and he can see all of the freckles on the bridge of his nose. Cute.

"Earth to Eddie!" Richie says, a little too loudly for the library. Definitely too loudly for the library during midterms. They get a few annoyed looks, but Richie is Richie, so it doesn't bother him. Eddie, on the other hand, blushes and gives an apologetic look to the surrounding students.

"Sorry, I've just been studying nonstop." 

"But why can't I study with you! I haven't seen you in ages," Richie whines, his voice lower this time.

"I didn't know you even studied." Eddie retorts. Richie lets out a light laugh.

"I don't really have to, not that much at least. I just have to read over something once and the ole' memory box has it down." Richie taps on his head on that last part, illustrating what he means by memory box.

"Okay, but also, everytime we study together we end up doing  _ other things  _ instead."

Richie frowns dramatically at Eddie, and he opens his mouth to reply.

"Well, what's so bad with  _ other things _ , Eds? You seem to like these  _ other things  _ just fine."

"I didn't say I didn't like them! I just meant that right now I actually have to study. Unlike you, my memory box needs a little more work."

Richie smiles up at Eddie. "Welllllllll, maybe you should take a break. It's not good for you, ya know, studying without breaks." Richie waggles his eyebrows. Eddie rolls his eyes.

"I can't take a break, Rich. I have too much material to cover and not enough time to cover it."

Richie frowns for real this time. He almost says  _ But I miss you _ , but he doesn't because that would be emotional and that's something that they're not doing.

And when Eddie sees Richie's disappointed face, he almost gives in and says  _ I guess you matter more than my studying _ , but he doesn't because that would be emotional and that's something they're not doing.

Instead, Richie returns Eddie's earphone to his ear, and fights the urge to kiss the top of his head as he walks out. Eddie resumes studying, pushing any Richie thoughts out of his head for the time being. Richie doesn't push his Eddie thoughts away, though. Instead, he goes down to the student center and gets in line at the pasta place. 

Eddie's still on the same chapter when Richie returns. He sits down next to Eddie, silently, and pulls out his laptop. And he slides a plastic container filled with spaghetti over to Eddie. On top, he's attached a sticky note that says **_I figured you haven't eaten yet, Eddie spaghetti :)_** and Eddie smiles. It's a weirdly kind gesture from Richie, since Richie normally just tries to get into his pants. He guesses this is just an elaborate plan to get him in bed soon, but he's also starving, so he takes the fork Richie's offering up and digs in. Richie smiles, content with himself. 

And then Richie just sits there with Eddie as he studies. He doesn't bother him at all. He stays quiet and does his own thing on his laptop (it looks like he's writing a script or something, which is really cool and Eddie decides he will have to ask about that later). It's nice having his company, even though there are other students around, too. He just likes having someone there  _ with  _ him.

The library has extended hours during midterms, so it's open until 3 AM. It's 2:36 AM when Eddie decides he should leave. Richie is still next to him, now reading some article online about the impact  _ Twin Peaks  _ has had on television as a whole. Eddie pulls out his headphones and starts packing up, which gets Richie's attention. There are still a surprising amount of students, so Eddie puts his finger over his lips to signal that Richie needs to stay quiet. 

They both gather their things as quietly as possible and make their way to the elevator. Once the doors close, Richie starts talking.

"Okay, two things: One, that's the longest I've ever been in the library, by, like, a longshot. And two, that's the longest I've ever been quiet while being awake." 

Eddie laughs. He's not surprised at all by either of those things.

"You don't study in the library?"

"Nah, I don't like it. It feels to stuffy. I study in this lounge area in the comm building. It's normally pretty quiet, but I listen to music anyways."

Eddie nods. He likes learning new things about Richie, no matter how mundane.

"You should show me sometimes. If you'd like to." Eddie says, kind of hesitantly.

Richie smiles and looks down at Eddie, saying, "I would like to, Mr. Spaghetti."

"Oh, yeah. Thank you for that. You were right. I hadn't eaten in  _ hours _ . I was starving."

They're both outside now, and Eddie pulls his jacket closed. It's late October, so it's not freezing yet, but they're in New York, so it's still pretty cold. Richie, however, is just wearing a long sleeve shirt. 

"How are you not freezing in that?"

"Well, the sleeves are long, so it's deceptively cozy!" Richie defends his wardrobe choice. Eddie believes him, because Richie isn't shivering at all. 

They start walking across campus. Their walkway is lit by the campus lights, which is good since it's nearly three in the morning. Eddie's still cold, even though he's got a jacket on. If his mom saw him, she would be infuriated that he's not wearing a heavier coat.  _ You need more layers!  _ He can practically hear her whining in his head. He pushes that away, though. She's not here, and he's eighteen, and she can't tell him what to do anymore. He's here, living in the present, with Richie.

"So, when's your last midterm?" Richie asks, trying to mask how desperate he is for time with Eddie that's not silent individual studying. Not that he didn't enjoy just sitting with him. He just missed joking around.

"Friday at 1:20"

Richie smiles. That's not too bad. It was Monday now, so just a few more Eddie-less days. 

"So does that mean you'll spend Friday night with me?"

"Are we scheduling sex right now?"

"I didn't say we were gonna fuck. Get your mind out of the gutter, Eds!" Richie laughs.

"Okay, yeah,  _ I'm  _ the one with my mind in the gutter. But yeah, sure." Eddie pauses, and then, "What are we going to do if we're not gonna have sex?"

"Well, believe it or not, I do enjoy doing other things. I think we should have a horror movie marathon."

"I don't like horror movies that much."

"Well then I guess you will have to stay real close to me."

At that, they had reached Richie's dorm. Eddie slowed to a stop, expecting Richie to go inside. 

"What are you doing? Isn't this your building?"

Richie just motioned for Eddie to follow him. Eddie was confused, but he followed anyways.

"I'm not letting my Eddie Spaghetti walk home in the dark all alone!" 

_ His  _ Eddie Spaghetti. Eddie's heart fluttered a little bit. But it wasn't really that far of a walk back to Eddie's dorm, so it was kind of pointless for Richie to stay with him. They were already approaching the building.

"Alright, Eds. I'll see you soon. Get some rest!" Richie ruffled the hair on Eddie's head, and normally he would be annoyed by that, but right now, he felt like he was going to melt into a puddle at Richie's feet.

"Bye, Richie. Maybe text me once you get back so I know you didn't get murdered on the incredibly long walk back to your dorm."

Richie laughed and threw a thumbs up in Eddie's direction as Eddie swiped into his building.

\---

It had become a new thing, now. Richie would come study silently with Eddie as he prepped for the rest of his midterms. Well, Eddie would be studying the whole time, and Richie would study for the first hour and then not need anymore studying. Everytime Eddie looked over at Richie, he was doing something different. Sometimes he was playing computer games, sometimes watching Netflix, sometimes writing, sometimes reading. It varied. 

Of course, Eddie's last midterm was tomorrow, so he wasn't sure that this could even count as a routine. But it was nice having Richie there with him. He'd leave to get food for them both, or watch Eddie's stuff when he needed to run to the bathroom. 

It almost felt like they were dating. Except for the fact that they weren't. Eddie had to remind himself of that more than he would like to admit. Friends do these things, too. And he and Richie were friends. Good friends. Friends who have sex. Just friends. 

They were walking back to their dorms, goofing off, when Eddie misspoke. Richie was doing some dumb impression, which made Eddie laugh, which then made Richie laugh, which then prompted Eddie to say, "You're cute when you laugh at your own jokes."

Things got quiet. Eddie felt so insanely stupid. Richie felt like he was on fire, but like, in a good way. There was almost an awkward silence hanging over them. Things couldn't really be that awkward between them, but this was certainly the closest to awkward they had ever gotten. After a moment, Eddie spoke again. 

"So, my last midterm is tomorrow."

"That's right! I actually meant to say something to you. Bev wanted to have you guys over. Well, like all of us that hung out at the party. You, Stan, Ben, Mike, Bill, and me."

Eddie smiled. He had been looking forward to just hanging out with Richie, but based on his accidental admission that happened just seconds ago, he figured this might be a better idea. Stan being there would definitely keep him in check. 

"Oh, awesome. I'll run it by Stan and Ben!" 

Richie smiled. "That's great."

They walked clean past Richie's dorm. Richie always insisted upon walking Eddie all the way home, so it was easier to not argue about how he didn't need him to. Eddie was glad that midterms were almost over, but he was also sad. He really liked spending this comfortable time with Richie.

"Alright, Eddie Spaghetti, my dear. I shall see you tomorrow?" 

Eddie nodded and swiped into his building. He thought about Richie the whole elevator ride up to his dorm. And he fell asleep thinking about Richie. And little did he know, Richie thought about Eddie for the whole walk back. And Richie fell asleep thinking about Eddie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmfao these gay idiots! tonight iwas just chillin and then i remembered that reddie is real but eddie is d**d and now i'm fuckin emo and so i wrote this instead because like. dam that shit hurted
> 
> i shall once again beg for your comments and kudos. they are my lifeblood. 
> 
> also the titles for these chapters are so random and not at all cohesive so i'm sorry. also i feel like this story is all over the place but i'm just an 18 year old tv major and not a professional author, so who cares!


	8. i wanna tolerate drunk you, honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was Bill's turn now, and he thought for a moment before stuttering out a question.
> 
> "N-n-never have I ever had a cr-crush on someone in the room."
> 
> title is from "business" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie plopped down on his bed as soon as he got home. He was finally done with midterms and could have a little fun. Ben was sitting at his desk, reading some book because he always seemed to be reading, but Stan was nowhere to be found. Probably at the library. Eddie pulled out his phone to pass time. He had been studying all week, so there was no way he was going to do anything school work related until Sunday. He deserved a little break.

"How are you going to hide this whole Richie thing from Stan when we're all together tonight?" Ben asked casually, not even looking up at Eddie. Eddie's head snapped over to stare at Ben, eyes wide with shock.  _ What?  _

"What are you talking about?" Eddie tried to play it cool.

"It's pretty obvious  _ something  _ has been going on between you two. Bill and I aren't obtuse."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. He thought they were being slick. He briefly wondered if Richie had told Bill, or even Ben, but he didn't think Richie would do that.

"How did you figure us out?"

Now Ben looked up at him. "Well, for one, you guys are always together. I saw you both at the library and that pretty much solidified my suspicions. But also, Richie talks about you nonstop whenever he can. I figure you don't do the same because you don't want Stan to crucify you."

Eddie should be concerned. He really should. But all he can focus on is the fact that  _ Richie talks about him _ and now he's wondering if maybe things are getting emotional. And if that would be such a bad thing. 

"Oh. Yeah, we've just been hooking up for about a month."

Ben actually shifted his entire body to face Eddie at that. " _ Just  _ hooking up? So like, you guys are just acting like you're not both whipped? Because we've already established that Richie never stops talking about you, but you would have to basically be in love with someone to let them study with you during midterms."

Ben did have a point there. Eddie wouldn't even let Stan study with him during midterms, and Stan was the calmest and most focused studier there was. He certainly wouldn't tap on every surface possible as much as Richie did.

"No, we're just friends. We don't want to mess anything up for next year with feelings."

"That's a wonderful lie you guys are telling yourselves. But don't worry, I'm not going to say anything Stan." Ben paused, and then added, "But you guys will have to control the heart eyes tonight if you don't want him to figure it out."

As if on cue, Stan opened the door. Eddie shot Ben a look, but Ben was already reading again. Damn, he really did read a lot.

"Okay, so are we really going over to Bev's apartment tonight to do God-knows-what?" Stan asked, beginning to unpack his backpack. 

"Yeah! It will be fun!" Eddie said, and then a thought popped into his head. "You don't have to come if you don't want."

"What, and let all these inside jokes be formed without me, casting me out from the friend group forever? Never." 

He had a point. Stan continued, "Anyways, we are supposed to be there at 7:00, so we should probably leave by like 6:30."

Eddie checked the time on his phone. It was only 3:45. He had quite a lot of time to kill. He could nap, but that would just fuck up his sleep schedule. He certainly wasn't going to do any sort of work. He could go somewhere, but that would just make him tired for the evening. He ultimately decided to nap and deal with his sleep schedule later. He was exhausted, anyways, so it probably wouldn't mess him up too much, right? 

"Will one of you wake me at like, 5:45?" Eddie asked. Ben and Stan both nodded.

Eddie plugged in his headphones and opened Spotify, finding the playlist "songs for eddie so that he can start liking good music!" It was a playlist Richie had sent him, with all of his favorite "essential" songs. Eddie hadn't gotten to listen to it much yet, but what he'd heard he did like. He hit play and closed his eyes. 

\---

At 5:45 on the dot, Stan was shaking Eddie back to life. Eddie woke up and snapped to life relatively quickly, excited about the evening. He had a few things to do to get ready and then he would get to go see their friends (and Richie!) and blow off steam from the week. 

Eddie grabbed his shower caddy and went to take a quick shower. He was jittery. It was a mix of his worry over not making his crush obvious to Richie  _ or  _ Stan. He would probably fail, but that was a problem to deal with later. 

After ten minutes in the shower, Eddie hopped out. He was clean and he liked being clean. He let himself back into his room, starting to think about what he was going to wear. He had to be casual, but still wanted to look good. He opened his top dresser drawer, raking his eyes over the pristinely folded shirts, before deciding on a plain red t-shirt. It was a good mix of casual and nice. Plus, he looked good in red. At least he thought so. 

He got dressed, adding some dark jeans to his outfit. He brushed his hair neatly. It was short enough to have already air dried by the time he was completely dressed. Once he was finally content with his look, it was 6:23. They would be leaving soon. The other boys had been getting ready, too, though they weren't putting nearly as much hidden effort into it. Eddie sat on the edge of his bed, waiting (im)patiently for Ben and Stan.

"Shall we?" Stan finally asked a few minutes later. Eddie nodded, probably a little too enthusiastically. Ben just smiled and slid his wallet into his back pocket. 

\---

Bev's apartment was about a 15 minute walk from their dorm. This meant they would be getting there early, but with Stan and Eddie, they always got places early. Ben wasn't as obsessed with getting places early, but he had adjusted to his roommates' habitual earliness.

Sure enough, the three knocked on Bev's door at 6:49. They had walked leisurely, adding a few minutes to their trek. Bev opened the door, smiling wide. She motioned for them to come in, and so they did.

Eddie took in his surroundings. The apartment was kind of small, but it was still nice. It was clean, and well decorated. The kitchen counter had a few stacked boxes of pizza, a smattering of alcoholic beverages, and some chips and salsa. All of the essentials.

"Make yourselves at home! The others should be here soon." Bev said, reaching into a cabinet for cups and plates. 

"Do you have a roommate?" Stan asked as he scanned the room. Then, there was a knock.

"Nah, I've never been great at living with other people. Got lucky when I found this one bedroom." Bev said as she made her way to the door. Standing on the other side was Mike, smiling and holding up a bottle of coke.

"Never like to show up empty handed." Mike said as he entered, giving Beverly a quick hug.

"What a gentleman! That will be perfect for rum and cokes!" Bev said, grabbing the bottle and placing it on the counter. 

"Let's see, it's 6:58. Do we think Bill was able to get Richie out the door on time?" Mike joked.

"Absolutely not." Ben said with a laugh.

"I'm guessing they won't be here until 7:10 at the earliest. Bill will be frazzled, but Richie will not care." Bev added. 

But to everyone's surprise, there was a knock on the door at 7:02. Still technically late, but not as bad as they all thought. Bev swung the door open, coming face to face (or, more likely, face to chest since he was a stringy giant) with Richie. Eddie stayed seated, hyper aware of Stan's eyes on him.

"I am truly shocked you are here so close to on time," Bev said, laughing as Richie hugged her. 

"Well, I could never keep Edward Spaghettward waiting!" Richie winked at Eddie, and Eddie fought the flush that was creeping up his cheeks. Richie walked fully into the room, and  _ damn,  _ he looked good. He was dressed in normal Richie attire, but still. He had black ripped jeans on, with a loose fitting band t-shirt (it said  _ PUP _ , which Eddie recognized from the playlist) and a jean jacket. And suddenly Eddie was very aware of the fact that they hadn't hooked up in over a week, and he was very aware of the fact that he wanted to. 

"Alright! Let's get this party started!" Bev said enthusiastically.

"Party?" Stan said, ever the realist.

"It's always a party if you're with the right people." Ben retorted, which was cringey but correct. Sometime during this conversation Richie had made his way to Eddie's side. He was casually serving himself pizza (of course he would be the first to dig in), but as he walked past Eddie, Richie's hand lingered on Eddie's back. It was subtle, and Eddie was sure no one even noticed, but it was still  _ something _ . He wanted  _ more. _

"What kinda pizza you like, Eds?" 

Eddie debated protesting the nickname, but he honestly liked it at this point. So instead, he just answered, saying, "Just cheese for me."

Richie slapped two pieces of cheese pizza onto a plate and slid it over the counter to Eddie. 

"I, myself, am more of a pepperoni kinda guy." Richie said, moving so he was standing right next to Eddie.

Inches away, Bill was pouring himself a drink. And eyeing Richie and Eddie a little, too. Eddie wouldn't have paid any mind to it had Ben not told him that both of them know. He still ignored it, for the most part. 

Slowly, everyone got their pizza and drinks. Eddie settled with a rum and coke. They all gathered in the living room area - it wasn't really a separate room, since it was an apartment and all. They were just joking around as a group, eating their pizza and sipping their alcohol. As the empty plates began to pile up, Bev took them over to the sink. When she returned, she had several bottles of alcohol in her hands, as well as some plastic cups. 

"Time for the fun," she said with a borderline devious grin. 

"What are you subjecting us to now?" Bill asked from his spot on the floor. 

"I was thinking a little Never Have I Ever. It's cliche, but it's fun."

Stan groaned, feeling he was too refined for the game. He didn't protest, though. He just grabbed another cup and a bottle of wine. Stan pretty much exclusively drank wine, which was probably the weirdest possible thing for a college guy. 

"Ok, so how do we play?" Mike asked. Everyone turned to him, slightly bewildered.

"You mean you've never played?" Richie asked, laughing. Mike shook his head. It made sense. Mike was mature, and he didn't seem to do stupid stuff nearly as much as the rest of them. Maybe that's why Stan was so down with him living with them next year. They were quite similar. 

Beverly inserted herself back into the conversation before Richie could ridicule Mike. "When it's your turn, you say something you've never done. And then if anyone else  _ has  _ done it, they take a drink."

"Simple enough." Mike said with a nod. By now, everyone had either replenished their drinks or gotten new ones. Not surprisingly, Richie volunteered to go first. Eddie wondered what he could even say, seeing as he was probably the wildest of the group.

"Never have I ever… failed a test." Eddie was a little surprised, but he remembered Richie's "memory box." Ben, Bev, Bill, and Mike all took a drink. Eddie felt a little pride in the fact that he had also never failed a test, which was kind of stupid given the current situation.

"Boring, Richie! I never expected something so  _ boring  _ from you!" Bev complained.

"Hey! There's not much I haven't done!" Richie said with a defensive shrug. The group shifted their attention to Eddie, since it was his turn. He felt a little hot, worried about what he would say.

"Uh… never have I ever kissed a girl." He hadn't. He'd known he was gay for a very long time, and luckily never was put in a position with a girl where he had to either awkwardly kiss her or awkwardly reject her. As he suspected, everyone drank.

"Okay, that's a little better," Bev conceded as she lowered her drink. "But I still expect better." 

A few rounds passed, getting raunchier as the drinks got emptier. They learned Bill, Stan, and Ben were still virgins, and that Richie had gotten his dick sucked by a stranger through a gloryhole (which Eddie had always thought weren't even real, so he was intrigued, and a little jealous). It was Bill's turn now, and he thought for a moment before stuttering out a question.

"N-n-never have I ever had a cr-crush on someone in the room." 

Eddie drank sheepishly. But right next to him, Richie proudly downed his drink. Eddie was so distracted by Richie that almost missed the fact that Stan also drank. Interesting. Stan and Eddie made eye contact, a knowing look between them. Eddie raised his eyebrows, and Stan rolled his eyes. Eddie wondered who his crush was. Ben drank, too, but Eddie had thought he had a little crush on Beverly for a while.

Now it was Stan's turn. He didn't hesitate, slightly slurring his words as he declared, "Never have I ever slept with someone in the room."

Eddie's cheeks burned as he took a drink. Richie let out a "Hell yeah I have!" before taking a swig of his drink. There were a few  _ ooohs _ . Eddie knew Stan had basically targeted him to show that they were the only ones stupid enough to fuck. Eddie didn't care. 

A few more rounds passed, questions bordering on  _ too  _ personal. They learned that Bev, Richie, Bill, and Eddie had all sent nudes at some point. Eddie wondered if Richie had sent them to anyone else. He figured he probably had, but he didn't really want to think about that. Although, it didn't matter, since they weren't dating and it wasn't his place to care. 

By the time the game died down, everyone was effectively plastered. Bill's stutter was unmistakable, manifesting itself in nearly every sentence. Stan was weirdly touchy, and Bev was giggling a lot. Richie kept making lewd comments to Eddie, and Eddie was too drunk to chastise him, so all he could do was blush. 

It was one in the morning at that point, and sleep was starting to take over. Bev told them that anyone was welcome to crash here, and almost everyone took her up on that. Mike declared that he lived in a dorm building that was only a two minute walk, so he was just gonna head back. Stan insisted that he shouldn't walk alone, so Mike said he could crash on his floor if he wanted. Stan agreed, which would have shocked Eddie if he wasn't so drunk and infatuated with Richie. Ben grabbed a pillow and blanket, curling up on the floor. Bill had already turned himself into an armadillo in one of Beverly's chairs. The couch was open, and both Richie and Eddie made a play for it.

"Pleaseeee, Richie! I don't wanna sleep on the floor." Eddie whined, hoping he wouldn't have to argue much. He was really fucking tired. He always got really fucking tired when he got drunk. But Richie had already planted himself on the couch.

"Too bad. If you want the couch, you have to share it with me." 

Eddie would have said no if he had been sober. He would have realized that they were dangerously teetering on the edge of just fucking and a full on relationship. But he wasn't sober, so he just sighed and crawled next to Richie. 

The couch was small, so they had to spoon. Richie threw his arm over Eddie, and Eddie liked the comfort. He felt so warm enveloped in Richie's limbs. He could hear Richie's soft breathing as he drifted off to sleep, blissed out by the boy cuddling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i went positively NUTS with all of the comments on the last chapter. u guys are so sweet and i love u. so here's a chapter! sorry that there's no smut but even richie is classy enough to not try to get into eddie's pants in a room with all their friends.
> 
> also i am literally just playing into every cliche reddie fanfic here but i don't even care. college reddie is my lifeblood.
> 
> ok peace! leave me comments and kudos bc they make me so soft!!!!!


	9. i love it when you do that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So attached his lips to Richie's, closing the space between them. The kiss was sloppy, but deep.
> 
> title from "cocoon" by catfish and the bottlemen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is really just pure smut so u can skip if u want

Eddie rubbed at his temples and let out a sigh. He had been at the library for a few hours now, trying (and failing) to finish a paper. He heard his phone buzz against the table, picking it up to see a message from Richie.

**(3:34 PM) are u busy??**

_ (3:34 PM) trying to write a paper _

_ (3:34 PM) so no not really _

**(3:35 PM) do u wanna come over**

**(3:35 PM) bill isn't here**

**(3:36 PM) and i miss u**

Eddie took in a shaky breath. This was getting dangerously close to real feelings with Richie. But if he was being honest, he missed Richie, too. He didn't even care if he went over there and they didn't hook up. He just wanted to be around him again.

_ (3:37 PM) omw _

He felt all warm now, knowing he was getting ready to see Richie. And sure, he had seen Richie less than 24 hours ago, but still. He liked his company. And sure, if he thought that  _ maybe  _ Richie felt the same way about him, and that  _ maybe  _ it wouldn't end disastrously for everyone involved, he might take a chance and tell Richie how he really feels. But he doesn't think that Richie feels the same way, and he knows that whatever  _ this  _ is will definitely blow up in their faces. So he resolves to not tell him.

It was a brisk November afternoon. Just chilly enough for a light jacket. Richie felt his cheeks redden as he walked, the cold hitting his exposed flesh. Luckily, the walk wasn't long and Eddie was arriving at Richie's dorm building already. He checked in at the front cubicle, telling the clerk Richie's name and room number and leaving his student ID. He waited rather impatiently for the elevator, almost choosing to take the stairs, except for the fact that Richie lived on the seventh floor and he didn't really want to be out of breath that early on in the process.

Finally the elevator arrived, and he climbed on, smashing the  **7 ** button and waiting. He was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, something he did when he was nervous. Except he wasn't really nervous, more excited. But the nerves were there nonetheless.

And then he was outside Richie's door, knocking against the ugly door. There was a cutout of Danny Devito hung up on the door, and Eddie wondered how Richie convinced Bill to let him hang that up. But mid-thought, the door swung open, and Richie was standing there. He was in sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt with holes worn in it, but he looked good. Eddie always thought he looked good. Eddie smiled up at him.

"Hi."

"Hello, princess." 

Eddie rolled his eyes at the nickname, stepping inside. The door shut behind him, and when he turned to face Richie again, he found Richie's eyes already burning into him. So attached his lips to Richie's, closing the space between them. The kiss was sloppy, but deep. There was more feeling here than usual. Like it was a little more than just sex. Richie hooked his thumb into the waistband of Eddie's jeans to pull him closer, flush against his body. Eddie moaned into Richie's mouth at the contact.

Eddie's hands had found their way up Richie's shirt, moving over his torso and stopping at his nipples. He roughly rubbed his thumb over one, pinching just a little, and Richie let out an obscene groan that had Eddie's dick growing in his jeans. His pants were getting  _ very  _ tight.

Without breaking their lips apart, Eddie started moving them towards the bed, stopping when it hit the back of his knees. He scooted up the bed, and Richie followed, crawling on top of him. Richie trailed kisses down Eddie's jaw and neck, stopping to lick and bite at that one spot that drives Eddie crazy. He knew he would have marks tomorrow, but he didn't care. He liked having a little something to remind him of Richie.

Eddie had been so distracted by Richie's mouth that he hadn't noticed the hand snaking down his front, stopping to cup him through his jeans.

"Already so hard for me, fuck. I've barely even touched you," Richie whispered roughly into Eddie's ear. Eddie let out a whine when Richie started palming him through his pants, bucking his hips up in desperation for  _ more _ .

"Fuck, please, Richie. More."

"What do you want, baby?" Richie asked as he slipped his fingers under the hem of Eddie's shirt, pulling it over his head. His lips were on Eddie's chest seconds later, licking and sucking at his nipples and making it very difficult for Eddie to form a sentence.

"I want -  _ nnngh _ \- fuck, want you to fuck me, please, fuck," Eddie moaned out, barely stringing the words together as his mind was filled with lust.

"Okay, Eds, I think I can do that for you. Tell me how you want me to fuck you. Tell me how much you love it." 

"Fuck, I want you to stretch me open with your fingers,  _ oh _ , until I'm whimpering, begging. I want you to fuck me so hard I have bruises on my hips from how hard you're holding me. Please, Richie,  _ please.  _ I love when you fuck me, love feeling so  _ full. _ "

RIchie moaned as Eddie spoke, starting to undo Eddie's pants. 

" _ Oh,  _ baby. You're soaked." Richie smirked. Eddie's cock had been leaking from the moment he saw Richie, and now the front of his briefs were wet enough that you could see the hard outline of his dick. Richie hooked his fingers into the waistband, pulling them down.

"Always so pretty for me, Eddie. So hard, so desperate."

Richie leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip of Eddie's cock, and Eddie leaned his head back at the pleasure. Richie licked a long stripe up the underside of Eddie's cock, basking in the noises coming from Eddie's mouth. 

"Please, Chee. Just want you to fuck me already," Eddie begged, head still thrown back. Richie listened, slicking his fingers up with the lube he had already gotten out. He pressed the tip of his pointer finger to Eddie's entrance, and Eddie tried to push down, tried to take him in.

"Uh-uh, Eddie. I'm gonna fuck you at my own pace. I don't want you pushing down. I just want you to  _ take it _ ." Richie slid his finger in on the last words, punctuating his meaning. He curled his finger as he slowly fucked it inside of Eddie, watching as Eddie just laid there panting. Before long, he slid in a second finger, and Eddie whined at the stretch. 

"Please - more, fuc- _ OH _ !" Eddie lost all composure (or at least, what he had left of it) when Richie's curled his fingers again, this time brushing right up against Eddie's prostate. 

"Love hearing your little noises, Eds."

Richie scissored his fingers, getting Eddie ready for a third. Eddie was just letting a string of  _ Richie _ 's, fighting the urge to grind down against Richie's hand.

"You think you're ready for a third, baby?"

Eddie nodded frantically, letting out a long groan when Richie pushed in a third finger. He let Richie fuck him open for a few minutes, but then he was so desperate, so ready for Richie's cock.

"Richie, please. Want you to fuck me. Wanna feel your cock." 

Richie was happy to comply. He pulled his fingers out and slid a condom on, lining himself up with Eddie's entrance.

"You ready to get fucked, princess?" Richie asked, and Eddie looked into his eyes and nodded.

And when Richie finally slid in, bottoming out in one slow, fluid thrust, Eddie arched his back off of the bed in pleasure. Richie gave him a minute to get used to the stretch.

"Fuck, move,  _ please." _

Richie didn't need to be told twice. He pulled out, snapping his hips back up into Eddie's quickly. He set a brutal pace, fingers digging into Eddie's hips as he fucked him.

"You take my cock so well. Love seeing you - fuck - love seeing you so desperate. You'll take anything I give you."

"Fuck, yes, Richie, I will. Fuck, love your cock."

Richie continued fucking into him, relentlessly abusing his prostate. Richie leaned down, attaching his lips to Eddie's neck and sucking a hickey into the flesh. Eddie was so overcome with pleasure, he could barely process what was happening. 

"Fuck, 'm close," Eddie moaned out, reaching a hand down to his cock, red and leaking and desperate for release. Richie stopped him, taking both of Eddie's wrists and placing them above his head.

"Wanna see you come from just my cock," Richie grunted out, looking into Eddie's eyes. Eddie whined.

"I can't, Rich. Need more. Need your hand. Need you to touch me.  _ Please. _ " But Eddie's begging was useless. Richie leaned in and pressed his lips against Eddie's ear, running his tongue over the shell.

"You're gonna come from just my cock or you're not gonna come at all, Eds."

Eddie moaned out. He loved when Richie got so controlling, loved when he told him what to do. 

"God, fuck, you feel so good, Eds. I'm so close, gonna come soon. Want you to come with me."

Richie lifted Eddie's hips, and the new angle was unrelenting on Eddie's prostate. Eddie felt that familiar heat in the pit of his stomach, and knew his orgasm was coming.

" _ Oh, fuck _ , so close, Rich."

And then Eddie was overcome with bliss, his orgasm raking through him. He threw his head back and clenched down on Richie, letting out an obscene noise. Seeing Eddie come apart underneath him was all Richie needed to tip him over the edge, spilling into the condom. Richie kept fucking into Eddie through both of their orgasms until Eddie was recoiling from overstimulation. 

Richie pulled out, tying of the condom and discarding it. Eddie was still a panting mess. Richie ran his fingers over Eddie's stomach, painted white with his cum. He brought one to his mouth, sucking it clean. Then, he lowered his mouth, licking against Eddie's stomach until it was clean. Eddie thought he might come again just from the sight.

They both laid there for a moment, silent. Then, Eddie sat up. 

"I need a shower. I feel so sticky."

Richie laughed a little. He knew Eddie would say that. Eddie climbed out of bed, lazily redressing. Richie watched him, entranced in his post-fuck beauty. 

"I'll text you later," Richie said as Eddie reached for the doorknob. Eddie just smiled back, pulling the door shut behind him. Richie looked up at his ceiling, realizing for the first time exactly how  _ fucked  _ he was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a danny devito cutout on my door, so now richie also has one
> 
> i kept getting requests for more smut so ! i'm a people pleaser !
> 
> reading all of ur comments makes me feel all happy and warm and i love u guys and i'm so thankful that ur reading!!!!
> 
> p.s. i went back and changed all the chapter titles to catfish and the bottlemen lyrics cause i love them


	10. i'm not the type to call you up drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Except when he twisted the knob and swung the door open, he wasn't met with Stan.
> 
> He was met with Richie. A very drunk Richie.
> 
> "Helllllooooo, Eddie Spaghetti. You look precious," Richie slurred out, too loudly for the middle of the night. 
> 
> title from "homesick" by catfish and the bottlemen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is quite nsfw, but this time with plot, too, so. idk

It was 1:36 in the morning when Eddie was woken up by loud knocking on his door. Who the fuck was at the door? He glanced around his room, seeing it was empty. He knew Ben wasn't coming back tonight, but he figured Stan had just locked himself out. He groaned, sliding out of bed to get the door and let Stan into the room. Except when he twisted the knob and swung the door open, he wasn't met with Stan.

He was met with Richie. A very drunk Richie.

"Helllllooooo, Eddie Spaghetti. You look  _ precious _ ," Richie slurred out, too loudly for the middle of the night. Eddie glanced down, suddenly realizing he was just in some short sleep shorts and a loose t-shirt. He felt a little exposed, which was stupid since Richie had seen him in far less.

"Shhhh. You're going to wake someone up and get me in trouble!" Eddie whisper-shouted, pulling Richie into his room. He smelled of booze, with maybe a hint of weed. Mainly just alcohol. Eddie wondered where he was, and why he came here. His dorm was really close. He could have just gone there.

"I missed you, princess," Richie said lazily as he plopped himself down on Eddie's bed. 

"I saw you earlier today, idiot."

It was true. They had gotten lunch together, something they did quite frequently now.

"Yeah, but that was  _ so long  _ ago! And I didn't even get to  _ kiss you _ ."

"Classic Richie. Always wanting to get laid," Eddie laughed out. Richie clearly had no idea what he was saying.

"Noooo that's not it. I wanted to hold your hand so bad today, at lunch. Wanted to run my hands through your hair. You looked so cute."

_ What?  _ Richie was definitely too drunk to know what he was saying. He didn't mean any of it. Right? He was just rambling, and the alcohol was telling him stupid things to say.

"Okay, you are  _ drunk _ . Here, take off your jacket," Eddie spoke softly as he reached forward to pull Richie's jacket off of his shoulders. He suddenly felt a need to take care of Richie, to make him feel better.

Richie followed Eddie's hands with his eyes, allowing Eddie to remove his jacket. Then, ever so quietly, Richie speaks again. "I  _ am _ drunk, but I mean it."

Eddie pretends he doesn't hear that. He goes to hang Richie's jacket off the back of his own desk chair. Richie's just sitting on his bed, looking helpless and distracted. Eddie can feel his eyes on him, watching everything he does. He leaned forward, starting to unlace Richie's converse. There were holes worn into them, and Eddie briefly wondered just how long Richie had been wearing them. He took the shoes and sat them next to the door, in line with all of Eddie's shoes. 

Richie was now leaning back against the wall, running his hands aimlessly over Eddie's comforter. 

"Come on. I wanna sleep." Richie motioned to the bed, trying to get Eddie to join him.

"Only way I'm sleeping next to you is if you shower. You smell terrible."

Richie frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, but Eddie ignored that, reaching forward to pull him up off the bed. He walked him to the door, shoving his own shower caddy into the taller man's hands and throwing a towel over his shoulder. 

"Go shower. I'll let you back in when you're done." 

Richie whined, but listened to what Eddie said. He stumbled his way across the hall and into the shared bathroom. Eddie lived in a suite, so luckily he had a little bit more privacy when it came to bathrooms. He didn't have to share with the whole floor, just one other room. He shut the bedroom door as he saw Richie go into the bathroom. Eddie pressed his back up against the wall and sighed. He didn't know what to do. 

He realized Richie was going to need clothes, so he started looking through his drawers, desperate for something that might fit. But Richie was a giant, and Eddie was  _ not _ , so no such article of clothing existed. He glanced over towards Ben's drawers, knowing that he would have something in Richie's size. He figured Ben would be okay with it, and Eddie would do the laundry for him anyways, of course. He had just grabbed a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt when he heard another knock at the door. This time, though, it was much quieter. Eddie sat the folded clothes on his bed and walked to the door.

On the other side was a much more timid Richie, now shirtless, who uttered out, "I can't figure out how to work the shower."

Eddie shook his head a little in amusement. It was the same shower that Richie had, he was just that drunk. Eddie made sure he had his room key and followed Richie back into the bathroom. He kept his eyes trained on the shower, ignoring that there was a half-naked Richie standing right behind him. He twisted the knob until the shower started, stepping back instinctively to avoid getting wet.

He backed right into Richie, and within seconds, Richie's hands were on his hips. And then Richie's lips were on his neck, sloppily planting kisses on his flesh. 

"No, not right now. You have to get clean," Eddie said, reluctantly pulling away from Richie. 

"'M too drunk to shower," slurred Richie.

"But not too drunk to kiss me?"

"Never too drunk for that," Richie said through a smirk. "Get in with me, help meeee."

Eddie sighed. He could leave and hope Richie figures it out and actually gets clean. Or he could just give in and get to take a shower with Richie. Putting it that way, it didn't seem like a hard choice. And Richie was really drunk. He probably could use the help.

Eddie didn't answer him, instead just pulling his shirt over his head and stepping out of his shorts. Richie, who had already been shirtless, followed right behind him, popping the button on his jeans immediately. Eddie reached one hand into the shower to feel the temperature, making sure it was warm enough. When he deemed it acceptable, he stepped in. Richie was right behind him. 

And then Eddie was pinned against the wall, Richie's lips against his. Eddie would be lying if he said he wasn't already preposterously hard, but he had a goal for this shower: get Richie clean. He kissed Richie back, but only for a moment. He pulled his face from Richie's and looked into his eyes.

"I'll kiss you again when you don't smell so much like booze."

"I hope you'll do more than kiss me."

Richie wiggled his eyebrows, and Eddie rolled his eyes. It's kind of crazy how similar sober Richie is to drunk Richie. 

Eddie grabbed his shampoo from his caddy, popping the cap open and reaching for Richie's hand. He squirted some into his hand (more than he ever used on himself, but he had to since Richie had so much freaking hair). Richie seemed to be sober enough to know what he was supposed to do.

The shower was filled with giggles and eye rolls and lewd comments (mostly by Richie). But then, as he was rinsing some body wash off under the shower, Richie said something a little quieter.

"Can I tell you a secret, Eds?"

"Of course. I'd love to hear some drunk Richie secrets." 

Eddie giggled, but Richie didn't. He was strangely quiet, almost serious.

"I'm falling for you."

Eddie's breath caught in his throat. He wanted it to be true, he did. But he didn't think it was. Richie was certifiably plastered, and he didn't know what he was saying. He was so distracted by the fact that Eddie was naked with him that he was just saying random shit now.

"You're drunk."

"Drunk in  _ loooooove _ ," Richie sang, starting on the Beyoncé song. Eddie had to clasp his hand over Richie's mouth to quiet him down, since his suitemates were probably asleep and didn't need to know he was showering with another guy at the moment.

Richie looked down into Eddie's eyes as Eddie held his hand over his mouth. He was vulnerable like this, without his ability to add a snarky comment. And for a moment, Eddie thought he might have been telling the truth. But then he realized that was just wishful thinking, and that even if it was true, it was bound to end in flames.

Eddie removed his hand from Richie's mouth to turn off the faucet. He had only brought one towel, so he really hoped neither of his suitemates happened to be awake right now. He handed it over to Richie, who promptly dried off, spending most of the time running it over his hair. His stupid, long, hot hair. 

Eddie took the towel and dried himself off, wrapping it around his waist.

"Wait… how come  _ you  _ get the towel, Eddie Spaghetti. I'm the guest!" 

"I wouldn't call you a guest… more like an uninvited visitor."

Richie smiled down at Eddie, following him back into the room. Eddie unlocked the door, clicking on the lamp as they both entered the room.

"Those are some clothes for you. They're technically Ben's, so just don't be too gross in them," Eddie explained, motioning towards the clothes.

"Oh, I was just going to sleep in my boxers."

Eddie looked horrified. "But… they're  _ dirty _ ."

Richie let out a breathy laugh, retorting, "Not that much! I showered before I went out tonight, so they're relatively fresh. Not like you made me come in them." And then he added, "Yet."

Eddie sighed and grabbed Ben's clothes, resigning to the fact that Richie was going to sleep in his slightly dirty boxers. When he turned back around, Richie had planted himself on Eddie's bed, sitting back with his arms behind his head.

"Now, I believe you promised you would kiss me once I was clean. And, by the looks of it, I'm clean."

Eddie walked over to the bed, crawling on top of Richie. He straddled Richie's hips, running his hands up Richie's chest.

"Well, I am a man of my word..." Eddie said, leaning in for a kiss. 

The kiss was still sloppy, and Richie still tasted like alcohol, but at least he now smelled nice. Eddie threaded his hands into Richie's hair, earning a moan from Richie. Richie ran his tongue over Eddie's bottom lip as he licked further into his mouth. 

Eddie adjusted his position slightly so that he could grind down onto Richie. The friction, though it was through Richie's boxers and Eddie's briefs and sleep shorts, was spectacular. Eddie brought his lips down to Richie's neck, licking and sucking marks into the flesh and he trailed down.

"Fuck, baby. So pretty. So good for me," Richie breathed out.

Eddie continued sliding down Richie's body, stopping to plant kisses every now and then. When he got down to Richie's boxers, he cupped his hand over his bulge. He hated to admit that his mouth watered at the thought of taking Richie into his mouth, but it did. Richie had him in the palm of his hand.

Eddie slid down Richie's boxers, stifling a moan at the look of Richie's cock, hard and leaking precum. He placed a kiss on the inside of Richie's thigh before bringing his lips to the head of his cock, lightly pressing his lips around the tip. Richie moaned at the contact, reaching his hands down to stroke Eddie's cheeks. 

Eddie liked how that felt. It was like nonverbal praise. He opened his mouth, taking more of Richie into his throat. 

"God, yes. Your mouth feels so good. Like it was made for me."

Eddie basked in the praise, hollowing his cheeks. Richie bucked his hips involuntarily, but Eddie relaxed his throat and took the thrust as an opportunity to deepthroat him. He looked up at Richie, and even though his eyes were starting to water, he loved the look he was getting back. Richie was beaming down at him, pupils blown and hair wild. Eddie blinked innocently, and Richie let out a loud groan.

"Love the way your lips look stretched around my cock. Could look at this all day, Eds,  _ fuck. _ "

Eddie moaned against Richie's cock and started to move up and down, setting a slow but thorough pace as he sucked Richie off. He wanted to wreck Richie, have him come undone right underneath him. He started moving faster and taking Richie deeper, feeling him hit the back of his throat each time he lowered himself. Richie's hips stuttered, and he thought that he was about to come. Instead, Richie pulled Eddie off of his cock, petting his hair as he did so.

"Love your mouth, but I wanna fuck you, baby."

"Please, Richie. Fuck, I want that," Eddie said, his voice  _ wrecked _ .

"Here you go baby, lay down and let me open you up."

Richie popped open the lube he had gotten from Eddie's nightstand (when did he grab that?) and slicked up his fingers. He placed a wet kiss to Eddie's jaw as he brought his first finger down, circling Eddie's hole. Eddie moaned and tried to press down, to get more. Richie gave it to him. 

Eddie's head fell forward, leaning on Richie's shoulder. The sensation of just one of Richie's fingers was better than anything Eddie could do to himself. Richie fucked him slowly, just waiting for him to adjust. Then, he slid a second finger in, now curling and scissoring his fingers as he fucked them in and out. Eddie let out a long whine when Richie found his prostate. 

"I'm ready, fuck, Rich. Wanna feel you," Eddie moaned out.

Normally, Richie would want to prep him more, make sure he didn't hurt him. But he was drunk on Eddie (and on alcohol), so he listened. He pulled his fingers out and slid a condom onto his dick, slicking it up. He pulled Eddie so that his legs were wrapped around him, slowly entering him. Eddie whined.

"You good, baby?" Richie asked, worried.

"So - so good. Just a sec."

Richie waited for him, and in a few moments, Eddie nodded, showing Richie he could move. So Richie started to fuck him. Normally when they fucked, it was fast paced and rough. But tonight was different. It was slow and deep. It felt more intimate. Richie's lips were all over Eddie: his chest, his collarbone, his neck, his lips. Everywhere. Eddie knew he would be littered with marks in the morning, but he liked the idea that Richie was marking him up. 

"Fuck, Richie. Feels so good. Love the way you fuck me," Eddie moaned out, hands wrapping around Richie's back and clinging to him. Richie pulled Eddie's hips flush to his, fucking him even deeper, and Eddie knew he was getting close. He was a moaning mess, and once Richie wrapped a hand around his dick, he was gone. 

He came in long spurts over Richie's hand and onto his own stomach. He was letting out moans and whines the whole time, feeling high from his orgasm. Richie stroked him through it, and Eddie could tell from Richie's increasingly erratic thrusts that he was getting close, too. 

"Fuck, baby, Eds, I love the noises you make for me. I love you."

And then Richie was coming, fucking Eddie through his own orgasm. But Eddie didn't have time to process what he said, or even think about it. Because just as Richie uttered those three words, the door to his room opened. And now Stan was standing there, staring at the two of them with a mix of shock and horror on his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, before finally finding the words he wanted to say:

"Okay, what the fuck?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooh shit! shout out to Vanity190 for giving me the idea to have Stan catch them in the act because I LOVED THAT and just had to write it
> 
> shit's about to go down people! 
> 
> i love you all for reading!! pls leave comments and kudos because ur comments make me so so happy to read!!! i love hearing what you think!!!


	11. to lose something you never have and never will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wished he could just go up to Richie and say, "Oh, hey. I think I'm in love with you, by the way. You once said the same, but you were drunk and your dick was in my ass, so you may not have meant it. Anyways, just thought I'd let you know!"
> 
> title is from "pacifier" by catfish and the bottlemen

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I'm so sorry Stan," Eddie rushed out, scrambling to cover himself (and Richie) up with his comforter. Stan just stood there with hit mouth open, looking so completely shocked.

"Is it too much to ask to request that I don't have Richie's pale ass in my face when I get home? Is that too much?" Stan asked. Frankly, it was much calmer a question than Eddie expected. Richie giggled, and Eddie remembered he was drunk. 

"Richie, would you show yourself out?" Stan asked. Richie stumbled out of bed, sloppily kissing Eddie's forehead on the way. He lazily gathered his dirty clothes, piling them back on. Eddie grimaced. The shower was for nothing. He watched as Richie struggled to put his shirt on, seemingly confused by the arm holes. He finally figured it out, pulling it on inside out. 

"See ya, Stan the Man," Richie saluted as he wobbled his way to the door. Eddie got up, sliding on a pair of sweatpants. "Richie, let me walk you. You're too drunk to find your way," Eddie said softly. Stan looked at him, saying flatly, "He found his way here, didn't he?"

Eddie shot him a look, sliding on his sneakers and grabbing his key. He was walking Richie whether Stan liked it or not. Stan wasn't his fucking mom. Stan shot Eddie a look as he left, but Eddie shot one right back. He wasn't in the mood for this, and he was starting to wonder why Stan cared so much, anyways. 

Richie threw his arm around Eddie as they both walked to his dorm. It was partially for balance, partially for contact. Richie spent the whole walk rambling about anything that came to his mind, but Eddie was too distracted to listen.  _ A lot  _ had happened in the past two hours. And, based on his level of inebriation, Eddie doubted that Richie would remember any of it. He doubted that he meant any of it, either. Alcohol can make you say stupid stuff. That's what he told himself, anyways. 

They got to Richie's dorm building, and Eddie's cheeks were stained pink from the cold. Eddie walked him up to the door, asking, "Do you think you can manage to make it up to your room alone?" Richie laughed, bringing his finger up and booping Eddie's nose. "Of course I can, Eddie Spaghetti." Richie hiccupped as punctuation. He swiped his ID card, watching the door open. He turned, looking at Eddie one last time and saying, "Until next time, my love!"

Eddie watched him stumble through the second door, and then he couldn't see him anymore. He started his trek back to his dorm, dreading whatever Stan was going to say. He wished that Stan would just chill out, but he understands why he can't. He's too rational, isn't drunk on Richie like Eddie is. 

By the time he finally gets back, he's full-on shivering. He had rushed to get dressed, so he wasn't exactly properly equipped for the weather. It was like thirty degrees outside and windy, and he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Even for a quick walk, it wasn't enough. He was glad to finally be back in his building and feel the warmth flood his body again. He tried to convince himself that Stan would be asleep by the time he got back and he would get to avoid this conversation altogether, but alas, he was incorrect.

He unlocked his door only to be met with an unamused Stan, sitting at his desk and staring at Eddie. Eddie walked in sheepishly, unsure of what to do. He knows he should apologize for Stan walking in on them fucking, but he doesn't feel like he should have to apologize for the fact that they were fucking. Because, yeah, Stan told him it would be a bad idea, but Stan also doesn't make the rules. Stan can't make him not date Richie. Or, more accurately, not fuck Richie. He's finding he has to remind himself more and more of the fact that they're just friends.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I didn't know you were coming home tonight. It was so late, I figured you were-" and then Stan cut him off. "How long?" he asked. His face was softer now, like he wasn't trying to ridicule Eddie so much as explain why what he's doing is stupid. Which, Eddie guesses, is better?

"Since the first time we slept together. At first it was just that one time, and then the second time in the bathroom at that party. But then somewhere along the way we just… started being around each other more and stuff." Eddie looked at his feet as he finished his sentence. He had been nervously shuffling, so he decided to sit down on his bed. Now he just fidgeted with the hem of his sweatshirt. 

"Why didn't you at least tell me?" Stan asked. Eddie looked back up, feeling a little guilty. They were best friends, and he normally told Stan stuff like this. He opened his mouth to reply, saying, "I thought you'd be mad, try to talk me out of it. I don't know, I just have spent so much time listening to other people, my mom really, and it felt nice to just make a decision on my own."

"Even if it was a bad one?" Stan questioned, and Eddie nodded. They sat in silence for a moment. Eddie was feeling better, because at least Stan wasn't yelling at him or lecturing him on how stupid he is.

"So, is it just sex, or more?" 

Eddie took a breath. At this point, he didn't know. So he told Stan just that. "I don't know anymore. It was just sex for a while, but I like him a lot. I don't know what we are doing." Stan shifted, remarking, "Well, I believe I heard him confess his love to you, and while it may have been mid-orgasm and drunk, it still happened." Eddie wrinkled his nose at Stan's casual reference to what he walked in on. 

"He doesn't know what he's saying. I think he just wanted to fuck me. He was drunk and horny," Eddie rationalized, not looking Stan in the eyes while he spoke. Stan thought for a moment.

"Okay, you know what. I think this is such a stupid fucking idea, but if it's happening anyways, you guys just need to figure out what it is. Like, fine, you guys can date or whatever, but you have to be on the same page. I want it to be on record that I believe firmly that this is going to blow up, but I feel weird trying to stop it. So I will let you make your own bad decision at this point."

Eddie didn't know what to say now. He hadn't expected Stan to be so… okay with it. But he wanted to know more of what Stan was thinking. Stan was the most rational person he knew, so maybe he could help Eddie figure out what the fuck to do. 

"Why do you think it's going to blow up?" Eddie asks. He feels stupid asking, because he knows Stan has talked about it before, but he wanted to hear it again. 

"Because you two might fuck around a little more, might date, whatever. But inevitably, it's going to end. And if it ends sometime between now and the end of next year, it's going to be weird. We'll be in the same house, and you'll see each other every single day, and you'll see each other bring home dates. And it's already going to be weird, probably. But my logic was that if you just called it off now, it would give you both time to get over each other before moving in and all that. I don't know. I've never been in your position, so I can't really speak as if I know what will happen."

Eddie scoffed at that last part. Stan never had a problem speaking as if he knew what was going to happen, because he did. He was smart and could pretty much always guess how things would end up. But Eddie also heard what Stan said. Like, really  _ heard  _ it. He did have a point. And that really sucked. And now Eddie was so conflicted, because he really wanted to do this thing with Richie. But he also knew that they were both really stupid and would end up ruining things. 

Almost as if he could read his mind, Stan said, "Look, Eddie. I know you're going to overthink this. You just have to weigh the pros and cons. Figure out which outcome would be the least painful. Would it be harder to call off a crush, or to end up living with someone you used to be in love with?"  _ Well, fucking both, Stanley. I'm dealing with both.  _

And then Stan said he was going to go to bed, and Eddie laid down, too. He pulled his comforter over his head. It smelled kind of like Richie. He dragged his phone up to his face, unlocking it. As he could have guessed, he had a lot of texts from Richie.

**(3:50 AM) babyyyyy i miss u**

**(3:50 AM) loved getting ot see u come apart**

**(3:51 AM) already wana fukc u again**

**(3:51 AM) and cuddle**

**(3:52 AM) but shhhhhht hats a secret**

**(3:53 AM) i know its so late but i want to se you again tomorrwo**

**(3:54 AM) also i hope stan wasnst mean**

**(3:55 AM) i;ll hurt him if he was**

**(3:55 AM) dont want anoyne being mean to my eds**

And Eddie hated that last message. Because he called him  _ his _ . And fuck, he did want to be  _ his _ . But he also knew that Richie would never say any of this sober. 

\---

Eddie barely slept last night. He spent most of his night worrying, so conflicted over what to do. He wished there was an obvious choice. He wished Richie would just make the choice for him, either by asking him out or breaking it off. But that wasn't happening. Because both of them were just too fucking stupid to make a concrete move. 

Eddie groaned as he rolled over, seeing it was 11:12 in the morning. He rarely slept that late, but it was valid, since he was up so late last night. And since he spent the night tossing and turning while he thought about Richie and what he was going to do. He knew he would never be able to make a decision. He knew that no matter what, he would always wonder if he made the  _ wrong  _ decision. And he hated that.

He wished he could just go up to Richie and say  _ Oh, hey. I think I'm in love with you, by the way. You once said the same, but you were drunk and your dick was in my ass, so you may not have meant it. Anyways, just thought I'd let you know! _

Honestly, he considered doing just that for a moment, but then he talked himself out of it. That was far too casual. And far too obvious. And far too vulnerable. Eddie peeled himself out of bed to shower. He felt gross, even though he had showered less than 12 hours ago. He guessed that really wasn't much of a shower.

He climbed in, trying to scrub himself to a decision. And yes, that was a stupid thing to try to do, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. 

It didn't work, though. He got out of the shower just as unsure as he was when he got in. Maybe even moreso, because he was thinking about this so much that he was confusing himself.  _ Why  _ did it have to be  _ Richie  _ that was Bill's roommate? It could have been anyone else, and then Eddie wouldn't be in this position. But instead it was Richie, and Eddie's so caught up in everything that is Richie Tozier that he can't even make a rational decision anymore.

Eddie gets dressed and grabs his backpack. He always went to the library on Sunday afternoons to finish his work so that he wouldn't have to worry about it later that night. He'd get as ahead on any extra work that he could, too, to give him less stress during the week. Richie would join him sometimes, normally just sitting and fucking around on his laptop while Eddie worked. They always sat in the same corner, the same place they had sat when studying for midterms.

Eddie checked his phone as he walked across campus. He didn't have any texts from Richie, which was strange. Richie was  _ constantly  _ sending him messages. Sometimes they were just random memes or thoughts he had, sometimes they were actual messages that pertained to Eddie. He didn't care. He loved them all just the same. He always got this weird bubbly feeling in his stomach whenever he saw Richie's name pop up across his screen. Which was probably dumb, because Richie definitely didn't get the same level of excitement from Eddie's messages.

As he got off the elevator and made his way to their corner, he was a little sad to see Richie wasn't there. He didn't know why, but he thought that maybe Richie would have showed up, knowing that Eddie always went around noon.

And now Eddie was worrying more about what he was going to do, because this was a weird level of silence from Richie. It wasn't really  _ silence _ , per say, but since Richie was constantly talking or texting or even just being around Eddie, it was strange to be apart, to not even have received a text from Richie.

Eddie wondered if Richie regretted what he said last night. If when he woke up, he realized what he had said and didn't know how to break it to Eddie that he didn't mean it. Maybe he would just stop messaging him altogether. Maybe he would make the decision for Eddie, and then Stan could stop worrying. 

His mind was so focused on Richie that Eddie was half-assing his work. He didn't know how to make himself take a break from his continuous inner monologue of  _ Richie Richie Richie _ . He had already been at the library for two hours without finishing a single assignment. He was also acutely aware of the fact that Richie hadn't texted him, either. At all. No snapchats, no memes on instagram, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Radio silence.

And at this point, Eddie had convinced himself that Richie was trying to figure out how to get out of this. And it was weird, because Eddie was so upset. He couldn't really be heartbroken, though, because this was never an actual  _ thing _ . You can't be heartbroken over something that never was, right?

So now Eddie had talked himself into what he was going to do. He hands were shaking as he typed up the message (is it okay to break off a friends with benefits situation via text?) 

_ (2:09 PM) hey rich. i dont think we should do this anymore. just wanna call it off before it gets too serious. im sorry. i hope we can still be friends. _

And sure, maybe Eddie was holding back tears in the middle of the library, but it was for the better. When the first tear slipped out, Eddie realized he was going to lose it soon. He shoved his books into his backpack, and beelined it for his dorm. He shouldn't be this upset. Richie wasn't his boyfriend, they weren't dating, this wasn't a real thing. He had made the smart choice, calling it off before it became something irreversible. At least he hoped he did, but as he slammed the door to his dorm shut and slid to the ground, tears falling at a rapid pace, he started to wonder if maybe he had just made a  _ very  _ bad and  _ very  _ irreversible decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some people are dumb and gay (people are me and eddie kaspbrak)
> 
> comments and kudos are much appreciated bc im so soft for all of u!!! i try to reply to them, but i am very bad at doing that, so sometimes i dont and im sorry about that!!! i love u!


	12. everything you feel on every night alone is because you need me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And in all of the pictures, Richie had a different girl or guy on his arm. Sometimes, he even had several. They were all over him. Eddie noticed in a few of the pictures that Richie had hickies.
> 
> And okay, that fucking hurt. He knew he shouldn't get so upset, shouldn't feel so jealous, but he did. He felt fucking jealous. He wanted Richie to be just as floored as he was, just as unable to go out and have fun. Instead, Richie was out living his best bisexual life. 
> 
> title is from "anything" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie hadn't seen Richie since he sent  _ that  _ text. It felt weird, going from seeing each other nearly every day to not at all. It'd been just over a week, but it wasn't working out well for Eddie. He had told himself he could be upset for one day after breaking things off, and then he needed to get himself back together. Except when Richie finally replied later that night, Eddie's heart broke again. 

**(7:06 PM) ok.**

Eddie didn't know what he had expected. He knew what he had  _ wanted.  _ He had wanted Richie to fight him, to not let it go so easily, to call his bluff about it not being too serious. He had wanted Richie to force him to let himself just be in love and happy and not worried. But Richie hadn't done that.

And it's not Richie's fault. How was he supposed to know that Eddie wanted that? But Eddie had still hoped he would. 

Stan had been there for him ever since the "break up" (does it count as a break up if you weren't technically dating?) He was proud of Eddie for making a decision, and Eddie could tell that he was glad it was what he saw as the smarter choice. 

But Eddie didn't fucking care if it was the smarter choice. At this point, he just wished none of it had happened so he wouldn't have to feel this fucking sad. He barely went out anymore. He would wake up, go to class, plant himself in the library for  _ hours  _ on end, and then go back and sleep. He didn't do fun things. He wasn't eating that much, two meals a day if he was lucky. He didn't have an appetite.

He was dodging the calls from his mom. He didn't want her to figure out anything that had happened. He knew that if he talked to her, she would be able to tell he was sad, and then she would pry and pry and pry until he finally told her why he was upset, and then she would lecture him on how  _ you're sad because that's what happens when you kiss boys, and if you just try it with a girl, you will see that it all works out _ .

He didn't need to hear that right now (or ever). And he was perfectly content to wallow in his sadness, working himself to the bone to stop any thoughts of Richie from intruding into his mind. He appreciated Ben and Stan's attempts at getting him to do stuff, but he just didn't want to. 

He'd been staying off of his phone, because any time he checked it, he got the urge to message Richie. Or to check Richie's instagram. Or to see if Richie had sent him a snapchat. So instead, he just rarely unlocked it.

But now, at 1:19 in the morning on a Friday night, Eddie couldn't help himself. He opened up instagram, going to the search page. He typed in Richie's username, and before he could stop himself, he clicked on it. He'd posted a few times in the past week. Eddie clicked on the most recent post, starting to scroll through all of them. They were all pictures of Richie at parties. And in all of the pictures, Richie had a different girl or guy on his arm. Sometimes, he even had several. They were all over him. Eddie noticed in a few of the pictures that Richie had hickies.

And okay, that fucking hurt. He knew he shouldn't get so upset, shouldn't feel so  _ jealous _ , but he did. He felt fucking jealous. He wanted Richie to be just as floored as he was, just as unable to go out and have fun. Instead, Richie was out living his best bisexual life. Eddie kept scrolling, switching through all the photos. He didn't know why - it was just making him more upset. But he couldn't help it. His fingers wouldn't let him stop scrolling. He was clicking on all the people tagged in the posts, seeing their posts with Richie on their own profiles, and eventually he finally stopped when he couldn't take it anymore. He just plugged his phone in to charge and went to bed before he could cry. 

\---

Another thing he'd started in the past week was running again. He'd ran track in high school, but had lost touch with it once he got to college. Now, he was waking up early and running until his legs burned and his skin was soaked. He was running away from the mistakes he made. He was running until he could forget everything he had done, and the things he didn't do. 

So he woke up at 5:50 in the morning on Saturday, even though it was  _ Saturday _ , and quietly got dressed before heading out to run. He had his headphones in, still listening to that stupid playlist Richie had made for him. It was cold out, but Eddie still wore his track shorts, just with an added sweatshirt. It was the same sweatshirt he had worn that night, when Richie was drunk and rambling and he had to walk him home in the middle of the night. The night he realized just how far and stupid things had gone.

Eddie didn't know how long he ran. He never set a particular goal - just ran until he couldn't anymore. He ran circles around one of the fields on campus, memorizing the route so completely that he could tell you where there were holes in the ground, where the grass was a little dead, where there were dandelions. It was the same way he had memorized Richie. He could tell you where Richie had freckles, where his skin was the softest, where he was the most sensitive. 

None of it mattered anymore, though. He  _ had  _ to stop thinking about Richie. He still had the rest of this semester and the entirety of spring semester to get over him before they would be living together next year. And Eddie figured that was more than enough time. But something told him he wouldn't  _ really  _ be able to move on. He ignored that little voice, because it was easier than dealing with it.

When Eddie finally got back to his dorm for a shower, it was already almost 9:00. He had stopped to grab breakfast before heading back. He entered the room, seeing Stan and Ben had started to stir. Ben was just laying in his bed on his phone, but Stan was already up and brewing coffee. Eddie gave them a lazy  _ Good morning _ as he grabbed his shower caddy. He was drenched with sweat and smelled positively disgusting. 

He spent the shower scrubbing his skin so hard it almost burned. It was something he would do when he was feeling particularly anxious. He hadn't done it in a while, but recently, it seemed like he was doing it nearly every day. He knew why, but he just didn't want to admit it. 

Once Eddie was clean, he got dressed and went back to his room. He was going to grab his backpack and go camp out in the library for approximately ten hours. Maybe not the healthiest of choices, but the one he was going to make. Except when he walked back into his room, he was met with Bill and Richie. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

Richie looked good. Richie always looked good. He had fresh hickies on his neck, and his hair was messy, but he looked  _ good _ . Richie felt a pang of jealousy at the fact that someone else gave him those hickies. Eddie didn't realize it, but he had been holding his breath. Letting out a shaky breath, he slid past Bill to grab his backpack and get the hell out of there. He felt like he might suffocate. He was wrapping his fingers around the straps of his backpack when he heard Stan speak up.

"Hey, Eddie. We're all going to a party tonight. You should come."

There was no way in hell he was going to a party that Richie was going to be at. Stan should have known that. So Eddie opened his mouth, making up his excuse as he spoke. "I can't. Too - too much work."

Richie scoffed, and Eddie had to fight the urge to look at him. He felt like everyone was staring at him, and he didn't know why. Maybe he was blushing. He couldn't tell, but his skin did feel very hot. He couldn't stand to be in that room anymore, so he grabbed his stuff and left, waving goodbye as he closed the door behind him. He was out of there so fast that he couldn't hear Ben ask, "What the hell happened between you two?" 

He also couldn't hear Richie say, "I don't know. He's the one who broke my heart, don't know why he's acting all weird."

Maybe if he had heard that, Eddie would have turned back around and kissed Richie and apologized for being a stupid fucking idiot. But he didn't hear it. He was long gone.

\---

It was almost 1:00 PM by now, and Eddie hadn't taken a break from working. He was going to run out of stuff to do, probably. He would just over study. He was starting to get hungry, but he didn't want to interrupt his work flow. He decided he would grab dinner when he was heading back. He could make it a few more hours, and the promise of an empty dorm tonight was encouraging.

But Ben, ever the empath, chose to show up at just that time.

"I come bearing gifts," Ben said softly, sitting a sub and a fruit cup down in front of Eddie. Eddie smiled at him, thankful. Ben had been really good to him recently. He was a comforting person. He was also wise beyond his years, but thankfully, he hadn't lectured Eddie on being dumb. 

"Look, Eddie. I know you're struggling, but you really should come to this party tonight. You need to get out, let yourself have fun. Just because you ended things doesn't mean you have to stop yourself from ever dating again."

Eddie sighed as he stabbed a strawberry with his fork. He knew that Ben was right. He lowered his voice, replying, "I know. It's just - I don't know. I feel really fucking stupid. I know I'm the one who called it off, but somehow I'm more heart broken than Richie. And it's not that I wanted him to be upset, I just wish he would show some evidence that he was sad about it. Which is also stupid, because the whole point of our arrangement was that there were no feelings. But I caught feelings, and instead of being honest, I just ran away. And now Richie's got an endless line of people who want to sleep with him. So he's forgotten me. And I know I shouldn't be upset about that, because it's good that he's able to move on. I just - I thought maybe this was something more to him, too. That maybe he would fight for me. And I knew what I was getting myself into, so I don't even know why I'm thinking that. I just - I can't go to a party when he's going to be there, too. Because it hurts too much."

Eddie was pretty proud that he got through all of that without crying. Sure, he would cry later, but the point is, he's not crying right now. Ben sat there for a moment, just looking at him and thinking. Then, he took a deep breath, like he was deciding whether or not to say something.

"Richie's not fine, Eddie. Listen - I've been spending time with Beverly. I was with her when Richie got your text. He showed up to her apartment in tears. I left because I didn't want to intrude, but he was really upset. And he's still upset. I get that you don't want to be around him right now, that it hurts, but you guys need to talk. Or at least learn how to be around each other normally. Because whether you like it or not, we've all signed a lease. We're all living together next year."

Eddie's heart sunk when he heard about how upset Richie was. He never wanted to make him cry. He sheepishly said, "I just didn't think I'd be this sad. I guess I didn't realize what he meant to me."

"I know you were just trying to stop things from getting weird and hurting next year's living arrangements, but you guys fucked that up the second you started doing - whatever you were doing. And I know you were just trying to take Stan's advice, since he's so rational, but he's also never been in love."

"Well, he did drink during that game of never have I ever. He's at least got a crush." Eddie smiled as he spoke, trying to stop himself from overthinking about what Ben had just said to him.

"Yeah, what was that about? Who in that room does he like? Better not be Bev."

Eddie raised his eyebrows at Ben. "So, Beverly, huh? Who would have guessed!"

Ben rolled his eyes, reaching out to playfully shove at Eddie. "That's not what we're talking about right now." They both sat in silence for a moment, Eddie eating his sandwich and Ben nursing his coffee. Then, Ben looked back up at Eddie. 

"Just, please think about what I said. And please consider coming tonight. We're heading out around 7:00. I'm gonna go now, let you finish studying."

And with that, Ben got up, leaving Eddie to stir in his thoughts. He didn't know what to do. Well, he knew what to do, but he didn't think he could do it. He felt like he had been so unfair to Richie. He didn't deserve to be pulled around so much. Eddie should just let him move on. Yeah, they were both upset for the time being, but feelings fade. And Eddie doesn't want to ever be the reason Richie cries again. 

Eddie sat there, idly messing with his fruit cup and thinking. He figured he would at least go tonight. He could always leave early if he really wasn't enjoying it. And Ben was right, he and Richie did at least need to figure out what was going on. They needed to talk. Maybe not at a party, but eventually. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o shit still not the resolution u all wanted hehehehe
> 
> i am LOVING your comments!!!!! they make me so happy to read!!!!


	13. i should be everything you want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He quickly made up his mind when he walked through the front door and saw some random girl on Richie's lap. Her hands were in his hair, and fuck, that was Eddie's thing. 
> 
> Eddie went straight for the kitchen, pouring himself a shot. And then another. And then a third, just to be safe.
> 
> title is from "sidetrack" by catfish and the bottlemen!!!

It was 6:15 when Eddie forced himself to leave the library. Ben was right - he did need to go out. He was also sure that tonight would suck, but that was neither here nor there. He was just going to endure and hope eventually he could have fun in the same room as Richie without feeling like crumbling.

Eddie kept thinking about what Ben had said, how Richie had been upset, too. He wondered if he still was upset. He probably wasn't - Eddie saw the photos. Richie was getting laid left and right. He definitely wasn't caught up on Eddie anymore.

Ben seemed relieved to see Eddie walk in. "Does this mean you're going to come?" Ben asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Eddie sighed, answering, "Yeah, I guess. Gotta go out eventually." Stan nodded from his desk, where he always seemed to be. He was fiddling with his calculator, but was also dressed in nice clothes. Of course he was already ready.

Eddie turned to his dresser, pulling open the top drawer. He had no idea what he was going to wear. He wanted to look good, wanted to make Richie do a double take. Maybe then Richie would initiate some sort of conversation, taking the pressure off of Eddie. It's easier to admit that you've done something stupid if you don't have to go seek the other person out first. 

He had ultimately decided on a polo t-shirt, but that got him a weird look from Ben, so then he changed his mind and chose a striped top. Still nice, but more casual. Less like a kid going to church with his family, more like a guy going to a party with a guy he was still loved. He pulled on a pair of dark jeans and his shirt before heading to the mirror to do his hair. He was going to wear a little bit of make up tonight. Just some highlighter. Something to get attention. 

Eddie was insanely jittery as he waited for Ben to initiate their walk to the party. Finally, at 6:58 (Eddie had been checking his phone for the time nearly every minute), Ben turned toward the door. Eddie nearly jumped out of his bed, slipping on his maroon jacket and flipping off his lamp in one swift motion.

Eddie was nervous the whole walk there, his hands shaking. Sure, it was partially from the cold, but it was also from his nerves. He didn't know what he was going to do. He knew if he drank, he would do something stupid. He knew if he didn't drink, he would be miserable the whole time. He quickly made up his mind when he walked through the front door and saw some random girl on Richie's lap. Her hands were in his hair, and fuck, that was Eddie's thing. 

Eddie went straight for the kitchen, pouring himself a shot. And then another. And then a third, just to be safe. When he looked up, Mike was standing there. He looked amused, saying through a smile, "Guess you're goin' hard tonight, huh?" Mike laughed, but Eddie felt a little embarrassed. He wondered how much Mike knew. He watched as Mike grabbed a beer, expecting him to leave after that. But then Mike grabbed a cup and poured some white wine into it, and Eddie wondered who the fuck drank white wine at a college party. And then,  _ oh.  _ His eyes drifted over to Stan, who was standing nervously in the living room and averting his eyes from Mike, and now Eddie knew what he meant when he took a drink that night. And he knew why Stan was so freaked out about Eddie's whole Richie situation. Because he liked Mike, but told himself not to do anything because they were going to live together next year. At least now it made more sense.

Eddie followed Mike back into the living room, where Stan was standing with Bill. Ben and Bev were dancing, and yeah, they were pretty cute. Eddie tried with all of his might to not look at Richie. It was hard. He was so tempted to rake his eyes over Richie's body, take in whatever dumb, slightly punk outfit he had on tonight. He didn't let himself, though. He couldn't. Because he was already three shots deep and looking at Richie would only make him want  _ more _ , and then he would black out and probably do insanely dumb things.

Eddie tried to pay attention to whatever conversation the group was having, but he couldn't. It just wasn't interesting. And it was  _ so  _ loud in that room. He looked around, eyes going everywhere but where they wanted. There were a lot of drunk people, all stumbling around and giggling. And then Eddie accidentally did it. He accidentally looked at Richie.

They locked eyes. Richie looked hurt, but more than that, he looked defiant. Pissed off, even. And then, without breaking eye contact, he leaned in and kissed the girl on his lap. 

Eddie turned around sharply, heading back for the kitchen. He found a bottle of tequila and a clean shot glass, pouring himself yet another shot. It burned as it went down his throat, but he needed something to numb whatever was going on with him and Richie. He went to pour another, only to be stopped by a voice. Richie's voice.

"That's a lot for one night."

Richie's eyes were on Eddie as he absentmindedly poured himself another drink. He grabbed another cup, making a rum and coke before shoving it over to Eddie. "Maybe you should switch to this. Wouldn't want to do anything you regret, Eds," Richie said, bitterness in his voice.

"I don't think I'm the one making bad decisions tonight, Richie."

Eddie knew he was only adding fuel to the fire, but he didn't care. The tension was already high, and he was pretty sure he couldn't mess this up more than he already had. Richie scowled, saying, "What, you jealous? Wish it was you on my lap, hands in my hair?" And then he leaned in close, whispering, "I know you loved putting your hands in my hair."

Eddie pulled away, shrugging it off. Richie's words were electric, but Eddie needed to regain the upper hand. "I don't particularly care, Rich. If you wanna go fuck some slut, then you can."

"And I will," Richie said, raising his cup to Eddie as he backed out of the room. Eddie shuddered. He hated that he acted that way. It was the opposite of how he wanted to act. But he couldn't help it. Seeing someone else on Richie's lap was difficult. He grabbed his rum and coke, heading back to the group. Stan was laughing at something Mike said, and it probably wasn't even funny. Stan was a little tipsy and a little smitten, so he would be laughing for the rest of the night. Eddie looked up, seeing Beverly and Ben approach them.

"We're gonna go outside and smoke, wanna come?" Beverly asked the group. Everyone nodded. Eddie glanced back over to the couch, but Richie wasn't there anymore. He had probably camped out in one of the rooms upstairs with that girl. So Eddie just turned around and followed the group outside. 

He'd only smoked that one time, with Richie guiding him through it, but he figured it wasn't something you needed a particular level of skill for. When he walked outside, closing the door behind him, he was immediately cold. He shoved his hands into his pockets, turning to where the group was sitting. Right in front of him was Richie and his flavor of the night. Richie had a blunt between his lips, taking a hit. He blew the smoke out into her mouth, just like he had done that night with Eddie. 

Eddie felt a pang of jealousy. He probably shouldn't have come tonight. So far, he'd just spent it watching Richie with this girl and feeling jealous and angry and sad. He took a swig of his drink, averting his eyes from Richie. Desperate for anything else to focus on, he started listening to whatever Mike was saying. His eyes kept flitting back to Richie, watching him interact with the girl. She was giggling a lot, hands all over him. Sometimes they would kiss, and Eddie would have to tear his eyes away so that he wouldn't crumble right in front of everyone. 

He watched as the girl got up, mumbling something about the bathroom as she went inside. Richie had a grin on his face as he said, "Well, Big Bill, I'm going to have to request you find somewhere else to stay for the night. I think I've got plans." Eddie's face burned. He was so angry. 

Without thinking, Eddie said, "I didn't know you went for such easy people, Rich."

"I went for you, didn't I?"

The whole group was silent. No one dared to even move. Everyone's eyes were on Eddie, waiting to see what he was going to do. He couldn't handle it. He just downed the rest of his drink and got up to leave. He stormed off, not really sure what he was doing. It was kind of sad for him to be leaving so early, but he had to get out of there. He pushed through the sweaty bodies inside the house, gasping for air when he finally got to the front yard. He was drunk, so he had to take a moment to figure out where he was and what he was going to do. It was just enough time for Richie to catch up with him.

"Okay, Eddie. What the fuck? Why are you acting like such a brat?"

Eddie seethed. Maybe he was being a brat, but who was Richie to say that to his face? 

"I just don't get what you see in her. I thought you had  _ standards _ ." Eddie's voice was dripping with bitterness. Richie faltered for a moment, before speaking back up. "Okay, that is so not fair. You're the one who called this, whatever it was, off. You can't be mad at me for moving on!"

"Yes I can! You just let it all fade away instantly, acting as if nothing happened. It's been like, two weeks. Whatever, I shouldn't have come tonight." Eddie turned to leave, but was stopped by Richie's hand on his arm. His grip was tight, so tight that Eddie thought he might bruise.

"What do you mean  _ I  _ let it fade away? You sent me a text ending it. A text! I just did what you wanted. I wasn't going to pine after someone who was clearly not interested."

"But I was interested! I just stopped because I didn't want to get my heart broken by someone who didn't care as much as I did!"

Richie scoffed, shaking his head. "You think I didn't care? I told you that  _ I loved you! _ And then the next day you called things off. How do you think that felt?"

Eddie's breath stopped in his throat. He couldn't believe that Richie remembered that. He thought it had meant nothing, was just something he said in the heat of the moment. Eddie's voice was small when he spoke again, saying, "I didn't know you meant it."

"Why would I say it if it wasn't true?" Richie matched Eddie's tone as he spoke. When Eddie looked up, he could see tears welling in Richie's eyes.

"I - I'm sorry, Chee. Fuck, I messed everything up because I think too much. I'm just bad at feelings, and I-" Eddie was cut off mid-sentence by Richie's lips. 

This kiss was different, better than any of the previous ones. It was passionate. It was confident, both boys finally feeling secure in their feelings. Both boys knowing that they felt the same way. Richie cupped Eddie's face as he slid his tongue into Eddie's mouth. Eddie wrapped his arms around Richie, pulling him closer. He felt like he couldn't get Richie close enough. Eddie felt something wet on his face, tasting something salty moments later. He realized Richie was crying. Eddie ran his hands up Richie's chest, stopping when they reached their destination in his hair. It felt so good to finally thread his fingers back through Richie's hair.

When they finally pulled back for air, both boys were panting. Eddie looked at Richie, admiring his swollen red lips. "I'm sorry, Richie. I really am. I just, I didn't know how to handle things." He reached his thumb out, swiping at the tears on Richie's cheeks. He looked so vulnerable, so precious. His freckles were almost like little sparkles on his face.

Richie pulled Eddie into his body, resting his forehead on Eddie's. "It's okay, Eds. Just happy to have my Eddie Spaghetti back again. Assuming I do have you back again?" Richie sounded nervous as he spoke, like he wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.

"Good luck getting rid of me, Rich."

Richie smiled, taking Eddie's hand in his own. They returned to the backyard, where all of their friends were still sitting. The tension was still there. Eddie could tell they were talking about whatever had just happened. Bill smiled as he saw them approach, hand in hand. Richie took his seat again, Eddie on his lap. It felt right. 

"Well, this is quite different from the energy of like, five minutes ago." Stan said. Eddie and Richie laughed, happy to feel the tension finally drifting away.

"Guess I just figured out how to not be an idiot," Eddie said, leaning his head back against Richie's chest. When he looked over, he caught Ben's eyes. Ben gave him a smile, almost like a proud father. Eddie smiled back, because he was so happy already. 

Richie's girl returned, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Eddie in his lap. She just made a frustrated noise and turned around, heading back inside. Everyone let out a little laugh at that. Conversation resumed, and Eddie was wiggling around a little too much in Richie's lap. Richie leaned forward, pressing his lips to Eddie's ear and whispering, "You're gonna have to stop moving so much, Eds, or I'm gonna have a problem."

Eddie smirked, because that was exactly the point. It'd been almost two weeks of him not getting fucked by Richie. "Maybe that's what I'm trying to do, Rich. Miss you. Miss  _ all  _ of you." Richie nearly moaned at Eddie's words, his voice dropping as he said, "Okay. Then we're going."

They both got up, starting to head out. Richie turned to yell "Don't wait up!" and Eddie blushed as he heard the group snicker behind him. He couldn't care that much because he was moments away from getting Richie's hands all over him again. And he was certain that this was the best possible ending to this night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really said rollercoaster of emotions!! and sorry to leave u guys waiting for the smut but it deserves its own chapter ok.
> 
> ur comments give me life and make me so happy. i literally sent them to my friend and said "tag urself as comments ive gotten on my fanfic"
> 
> also i am lowkey debating making a Sequel of them actually living together cause like. i'm not gonna get to that in this fic since it would be such a time jump and i don't like time jumps (quite ironic given the fandom). let me know if u would want one!!! idk what the plot would be other than them living together lmao.


	14. i tried my best to keep away from you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The minute they got back to Richie's dorm, Richie's lips were on Eddie's. They kissed deeply, passionately. This kiss was full of want and lust and love.
> 
> title is from "outside" by catfish and the bottlemen

Eddie felt electric on their whole walk home. Richie had his arm slung around Eddie's shoulder and he was pulled in close, so close that he could feel Richie's heartbeat as they walked. It was nice. They didn't really talk much, just basked in the comfort of each other. It was almost as if it wasn't even cold outside anymore. Eddie felt so warm in Richie's arms.

The minute they got back to Richie's dorm, Richie's lips were on Eddie's. They kissed deeply, passionately. This kiss was full of want and lust and  _ love _ . Eddie felt Richie's tongue explore his mouth as his hands explored Eddie's chest. Eddie had his hands in Richie's hair again. That was his weakness. The kissed until their lips were bruised and they were out of breath, pulling away panting. 

"Fuck, Eds. I love you. So much."

Richie looked at Eddie with hunger in his eyes. His pupils were blown, and Eddie was sure his were, too. Eddie passed Richie, going to sit on his bed. He shucked off his shirt on the way, Richie following suit. He pulled Richie on top of him, hands cupping his face. He liked having Richie this close and he  _ really _ liked having his hands on Richie. Richie leaned in for a kiss, and this time the kiss was slow. There was no rush - it was like it was just him and Richie and time had frozen. Eddie's hands mapped Richie's chest, running over the smooth skin and delighting in the feeling of his warmth. 

Before long, Richie moved his lips down Eddie's jaw and onto his neck, sucking a bruise into the flesh of his neck. Eddie let out a gasp. He had forgotten just how good Richie's lips felt when they were all over him. Richie kissed down Eddie's body, stopping to swirl his tongue around his right nipple. His tweaked the other with his thumb and pointer finger, and Eddie mewled. Richie continued his trail of sloppy, wet kisses, stopping once he got to the waistband of Eddie's jeans. And fuck, Eddie hadn't even noticed how tight his jeans had gotten. He was so distracted by Richie.

Richie popped the button of Eddie's jeans as Eddie eagerly lifted his hips so Richie could remove them. Richie mouthed over the newly exposed skin, littering his thighs with lovebites that he would surely look upon fondly tomorrow. Eddie stifled a moan, instead saying, "Rich, I missed this. Missed your lips, your hands, everything." Richie smiled softly before lowering his head back to Eddie's clothed erection.

And then Richie's mouth was running over the fabric of his briefs, wetting the front even more than Eddie had already with precum. Eddie threw his head back in bliss, eyes clenching shut. It was not enough and too much all at once. Eddie was overwhelmed, the only thought in his mind being  _ RichieRichieRichie. _

Richie slid down Eddie's underwear, letting his cock finally spring free. Richie kissed up Eddie's thigh, getting closer and closer to the one place Eddie wanted, no,  _ needed _ his mouth. Finally Richie took the tip of Eddie's dick into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head.

Eddie was overcome with ecstasy at the feeling of Richie's mouth. He let out whimpers and moans as Richie went down on him, taking him all the way down in one swift motion. Richie bobbed his head, flattening his tongue against Eddie's dick, and Eddie involuntarily bucked his hips forward, choking Richie. When Eddie threaded his fingers into Richie's hair, Richie hips pressed against the bed, his own dick demanding attention. 

Richie pushed Eddie's hips back down onto the bed, bringing one lubed finger up to circle around Eddie's hole. Eddie's back arched off the bed as he tried to grind down onto Richie's finger. "F-fuck, Rich. Feels so good," Eddie whined. Richie picked up the speed at which he was bobbing his head, all the while relentlessly prodding at the sensitive skin around Eddie's hole with his finger.

Eddie could feel the familiar heat coiling in his stomach warning him that he was close. His hips stuttered as he whimpered, "I'm close." He was barely able to form coherent sentences, so wrapped up in the pleasure Richie was providing. Richie did not relent, however. Instead, he deepthroated Eddie, swallowing around his dick and finally pressing his finger in at the same time. That was all it took for Eddie to come down Richie's throat, letting out a litany of swear words and  _ Richie's  _ as he did. 

Richie swallowed everything Eddie had to give him, still slowly pumping his finger in and out of Eddie's ass. "Oh, baby. You look so pretty when you come. Love the noises you make, love my name on your lips," Richie said sweetly, staring up at Eddie with wild eyes. Eddie, still recovering from his orgasm, could only moan in response.

"I'm gonna fuck you so good tonight, gonna make you feel  _ so good _ ," Richie continued, adding a second slick finger. He pumped his two fingers in and out, giving Eddie time to adjust, before starting to scissor them. "But first, baby, I'm gonna stretch you out real good. Maybe even make you come again. Wanna see you come so hard you cry, want you to be begging for my cock even though you're already so sensitive."

And fuck, Eddie wanted that, too. He never knew overstimulation was a thing for him, but Richie's words were already making his dick twitch with interest. He wiggled his hips down on Richie's fingers, urging him to add a third. Instead, Richie just curled his fingers, finding Eddie's prostate. 

" _ Richie _ ," Eddie exclaimed, voice high pitched and dripping with want. Richie smiled as he peppered kisses on Eddie's thighs. Richie couldn't touch him enough, and Eddie couldn't get enough of Richie's touches. It was a perfect balance of want. 

Richie continued to hit Eddie's prostate with each thrust of his fingers, determined to bring Eddie over again. He added a third finger, curving them  _ just  _ right and reducing Eddie to a mess of moans and whines. Eddie could feel his orgasm approaching, knowing he was going to come soon. 

"Rich, Rich. I'm gonna - fuck, gonna come," Eddie moaned out as his hips pressed against Richie's fingers. "Please, baby. I wanna see you again. Let me see you come apart from my fingers, Eds," Richie smiled, and that was all it took. Eddie was coming again, a long whine ripping from his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut and let his orgasm rock through him. 

Richie continued fucking Eddie on his fingers until Eddie came back down. He was spent, his dick aching from overstimulation. But Richie wasn't done with him yet. Richie rolled a condom onto his cock, lubing it up liberally as he leaned over Eddie. He pressed his lips to Eddie's, delighting in the feel of Eddie's mouth again. "Okay, baby. You think you're ready to take me?" Richie asked, his tone sweet even though his words were dirty. Eddie nodded, eyes locking with Richie's.

Richie slowly pushed into Eddie, making sure Eddie felt every inch. When he bottomed out, both of them stayed there for a moment. At first, they just looked into each other's eyes, feeling like they were the only people in the world. Then Eddie surged forward, attaching his lips to Richie's again. Richie started to rock his hips into Eddie, setting a slow and deliberate pace. 

Eddie was so sensitive, having already came twice, but his cock was starting to ache again. "Oh, fuck, Rich. You feel so good. Nothing like this - nothing like being fucked by you," Eddie panted out, breathing heavily as he started grinding his hips down to meet Richie's thrusts. 

"You think you can take me a little faster, baby?" Richie asked, and Eddie moaned enthusiastically. Richie took that as a yes, and he started to snap his hips into Eddie's at a nearly brutal pace. He was wary of the fact that Eddie was sensitive, but he still wanted to give him a fucking he wouldn't forget. 

"God, Eds, can't wait to see you come apart on my cock," Richie grunted, hips canting into Eddie. 

"Only for you, Rich." 

"You mean that, baby? Only for me?" Richie pleaded. He needed to hear it, needed to hear that Eddie was only like this for him.

"Fuck - yes, baby.  _ Richie,  _ fuck, only you can make me feel this good."

Richie pressed his lips against Eddie's neck, kissing the already bruised skin. He could feel his orgasm fast approaching, and was sure Eddie was getting close, too. He pulled back up to admire how Eddie looked, completely fucked out as he took Richie's dick. "Oh, baby. You look so good taking my dick. You were made for me, fuck. Wanna see you, wanna hear you," Richie groaned as his thrusts started to become more erratic.

Those words were all Eddie needed to hear to get him over the edge. He was coming in slow, light spurts across his stomach, Richie still pounding into him relentlessly. As his orgasm wracked over him, he became pliant in Richie's arms. He was nearly crying, so overwhelmed from the pleasure.

"Rich - Rich, I love you," Eddie whimpered out, barely coherent as his brain was overcome with pleasure. Richie buried his face into Eddie's neck, coming with a muffled cry. He continued fucking into Eddie until he had finished coming completely before pulling out and laying next to Eddie. He wrapped his arms around Eddie, just happy to be laying there with him in this moment. Eddie sighed happily, head drifting onto Richie's shoulder.

"I missed you," Eddie confessed quietly, eyes closed and skin flushed. Richie pressed a tender kiss onto Eddie's forehead, whispering, "I missed you, too." He paused, before adding, "We should probably get cleaned up, baby."

Eddie just shook his head, curling into Richie. "Later. Just wanna lay here with you, be in your arms." 

And Richie wasn't going to argue with that. 

\--- 

Later, after they'd both gotten cleaned up in Richie's shower (and Eddie had gotten down on his knees and given Richie the best blowjob he had ever received), they returned to the bed. Their bodies melded together, limbs intertwined on the small mattress. Eddie's hands were absentmindedly running through Richie's hair as he thought happily about where he was. Sure, he had been a huge fucking idiot on the way, but look where ended up. 

He fell asleep like that, head resting on Richie's chest and listening to his soft breathing. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else, and he couldn't believe it took him this long to admit that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some sweet smut for u guys!! this is a lil shorter than my normal updates, but i just felt like this was enough and it was all that needed to be said. i'm so soft for these boys rn.
> 
> the next chapter is the last one (tragic), but i decided i'm gonna do a sequel!! idk when that will get started, but probably like next week? just gotta plan it out a lil bit first.
> 
> p.s. i have this all on one document in google drive and this chapter started on page 69 B) get it cause it's the sex number


	15. one of our longshots paid off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then Richie reached out and intertwined his fingers with Eddie's, and they were off. It was just the two of them, and it was perfect. It was all Eddie could have ever wanted. 
> 
> title is from "longshot" by catfish and the bottlemen

When Eddie woke up, he was still curled into Richie's side. It was a tight squeeze, since all Richie had was a twin XL bed, but it was okay. He liked being that close to Richie. Eddie cast his eyes up to Richie's, surprised to see he was already awake. Richie was just staring down at him, smiling.

"Good morning, princess." 

Eddie smiled at the return of the nickname. It had originally annoyed him, but at this point, Richie could call him anything and he would smile. Eddie shifted so he was laying on his stomach, partially on top of Richie. "Have you been awake long?" Eddie asked. Richie looked a little more awake than Eddie. Turns out, he was. Richie replied, "Yeah, maybe like twenty minutes." Eddie mouth opened a little in shock. "What? Were you just laying there the whole time?" 

"You looked pretty sleeping. I just wanted to look."

And yeah, that hit Eddie right in the heart. He hummed happily, running his fingers through Richie's bedhead. He looked really cute when he was even more disheveled than normal.  _ And also hot, _ Eddie thought to himself. "Chee, what time is it?" Eddie asked, realizing he might need to be getting back to his dorm. He liked being here in Richie's arms, but he  _ needed  _ a shower with his own products.

"It's 10:42, why?" Richie asked as he gently ran his fingers over the exposed skin on Eddie's back. Goosebumps erupted on his skin at the light touch. "I have to go home and shower," Eddie answered plainly. Richie sat for a moment, thinking, before saying, "You could always shower here."

"I could, but I need all my products. I'm weird about showering and stuff. Sorry," Eddie answered as he peeled himself off of Richie. When he saw Richie's slightly worried expression, he added, "I love you," and bent down to press a kiss to Richie's forehead. He had morning breath, so as much as he wanted to kiss Richie's lips instead, he wasn't going to. 

Eddie searched over Richie's floor for his clothing. He found his pants, but was struggling to locate his shirt. Richie's room was still just as messy as it was the first time they hooked up, so he didn't know why he even bothered looking. He could just slide on his jacket and rough it. Just then, his eyes raked over his striped t-shirt. When it picked it up, it smelled strongly of tequila and weed, and had a mysterious stain on the front. Eddie was  _ not  _ putting that on his body. 

As if he was reading his mind, Richie extended his arm out to Eddie, handing him a clean t-shirt. "Here. I know yours probably isn't very clean after last night." Eddie smiled as he pulled the soft shirt over his head. Richie laughed when it was all the way on; because Eddie was so small and Richie was a giant, the shirt practically swallowed him. It smelled like Richie, though. And it felt warm and soft and comfortable. He didn't really want to give it back, ever.

"I like you in my clothes. Especially with all those marks on your neck," Richie said through a grin. Eddie hand instinctively went up to his neck as he flushed, rolling his eyes to try to mask how much he liked it, too. "I have to go, but I'll see you later, Chee. And I'll miss you until then." Eddie was very soft for this boy, so yeah he was going to be a little sappy. He had slid on his shoes and was making his way towards the door when Richie called out to him. 

"Wait! Eds, I have to ask you something."

Eddie felt weirdly hot. He was worried, and he didn't know why. It was just a subconscious reaction, really. Richie stumbled out of bed, his limbs seeming to fly everywhere in the process. When he finally got himself on the ground, he walked over to Eddie. "Would you, Edward Spaghettward, go on a date with me tonight?"

Eddie blushed. He  _ hated  _ that nickname, but he  _ loved  _ that sentence. "Why of course I will, Richard," Eddie said through a smile. Richie grinned back, saying, "I shall pick you up at 5:00, your highness. Prepare yourself for the most epic of evenings." He did a mock curtsy, and somehow Eddie smiled even wider.

And Eddie wore that smile the entire walk home. 

His smile was not unnoticed by his roommates (and neither were his hickies). "Looks like someone finally worked things out," Ben said when Eddie walked through the door. Eddie couldn't stop his grin from spreading. Even Stan looked happy, adding, "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thank you, Staniel." Eddie giggled a little. Richie's nicknames were starting to rub off on him. "So, are you guys like, dating now?" Ben asked from his spot on his bed. Eddie nodded eagerly, replying, "We're going out tonight." Ben smiled at that notion, and Stan asked, "What are you guys doing?" For a moment, Eddie's heart stopped. He thought Stan was suddenly against this again, until he continued, "Like, dinner and a movie or?"

"I actually don't know. I'm sure Richie will have something extravagantly stupid planned," Eddie answered, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.  _ Richie's  _ shirt. 

Eddie opened his mouth again, saying, "Now… we must talk about something else." Both Ben and Stan looked confused. Eddie grinned and shifted his eyes to Stan when he said, "Mike and Stan."

Stan blushed immediately, quipping, "I don't think we do!" But now Ben's interest was peaked, too, so it was time to talk. "Wait a second, how did I miss that?" Ben asked, eagerly sitting up more on his bed. Eddie sat down on his bed as he answered with, "Don't worry - I just figured it out last night! Stan here was keeping it a secret."

"It's just a crush! It will pass. There's no need to even say anything." 

Eddie shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Stanley. I think you should take a  _ chance _ ."

"Yes, because we all saw how simple and wonderful that was for you and Richie," Stan retorted sarcastically. Ben shrugged, as if to say,  _ He does have a point. _

And maybe if Eddie wasn't still riding out his lover's high from the night before that would have stung a bit. But instead, he just replied, "Well, look where we are now! May have taken use a bit, but I'd say it worked out." Again, Ben shrugged in agreement. 

Stan sighed. "Maybe somewhere down the line, if this crush persists, I'll do something. Emphasis on maybe." Eddie nodded. He could work with that. Then the conversation fizzled out, so Eddie grabbed his shower stuff and went to shower. For the first time, he didn't feel the least bit guilty when his mind drifted to Richie while he was under the water. It wasn't even that he was thinking about Richie in a sexual sense (though also a little bit that he was). He was just thinking about Richie. Being with Richie. 

He was super excited for the date night, but he was even more nervous. They'd finally figured something out, so now he was terrified of doing something stupid and ruining it. He didn't even know what that could be at this point - they'd already gone down the list of stupid things and checked a lot of boxes. But that didn't ease his anxieties. 

He hated that he was going to have to pass the time until the date. He thought maybe Richie would hang out with him during the day anyways, but when Eddie texted him to ask, all he got was

**(1:02 PM) nope gotta perfect this kick ass date**

\---

Finally, the hours had passed. It was 4:56, and Eddie was jostling his thighs nervously as he sat in his desk chair. Ben kept glancing over at him, eyes begging him to calm down, but he never said anything. He understood that Eddie was nervous. Stan, however, did not have that respect, and he happily ridiculed any nervous tick Eddie exposed. 

"Stop shaking your legs. It's fucking annoying," Stan said flatly. Eddie shot him a (soft) glare, and was about to come up with some sort of witty response. His train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door. Eddie sprang to life, rushing to the door. 

When he opened it, Richie was standing on the other side looking  _ delightful _ . He seemed to have attempted to do something to his hair, and he was in nicer clothes than normal. Not much nicer, but nicer nonetheless. 

"Hello there, pretty boy," Richie spoke with ease. Eddie just smiled. Stan cleared his throat from his chair. "Alright, young man. Don't lay a hand on our son. Ben and I would happily come up with an alibi for tonight." Ben nodded in agreement. Eddie shot them both a deathly look.

Richie just laughed, putting his hands up and saying, "I won't, wouldn't even think of it." Then Richie reached out and intertwined his fingers with Eddie's, and they were off. It was just the two of them, and it was perfect. It was all Eddie could have ever wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not gonna lie to y'all i ended it there bc i had NO idea what to do for their date. and also because those last few sentences just flowed right out of my fingers and i was like. damn that's cute we gotta end there. BUT i will be writing a sequel soooo this isn't the last of these two!!! i'm gonna try to get that started and post the first chapter this weekend, but i have a paper due friday so honestly i just might post it thursday night when i inevitably write fanfic to procrastinate lmao.
> 
> ANYWAYS i love u guys sm thank u for reading!!!! u are AWESOME!!!
> 
> p.s. i never said anything before but if u want to come send me hate on tumblr or somethin my user is birightsrichie !!!
> 
> p.p.s. JUST as i was preparing to post this "hourglass" came on my playlist and like... that's eerie cause that's the song that i got the title of this whole fic from


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